Bleeding Heart
by FriendlyLittleDemon
Summary: Trudy Stackhouse is Sookie and Jason's little sister with the power of telekinesis. She's had a crush on Sam Merlotte for as long as she can remember but will that change when she goes to Fangtasia with Sookie and Bill?
1. Chapter 1 Life That Keeps Me Busy

**Disclaimer: I, in no way or form of any kind, own True Blood or any of the characters in True Blood. If I did, I would've made more scenes with Lafayette, Eric, and Pam. But, alas, I do not.**

I sighed grimly as I sat at the top of the long stair case, a beer bottle clutched in my hand. Hey, I m Trudy Stackhouse, Sookie and Jason Stackhouse s little sister. I m only 21 and I m bored to tears in the little town of Bon Temps that I like to call home. I have long bleach blonde hair that cuts off at the small of my black with my side swiped bangs covering my forehead and has bright purple highlights. My eyes are dark brown, I m slim fitted and beautiful (as everybody tells me), and my country twang isn t as prominent as my brother s and sister s, but it s still there. I guess I got that from Gran, considering that her accent isn t all that strong either. Oh, my brother also took me to get my bottom lip pierced when I turned 16 because Gran and Sookie wouldn t.

"Hey, Sook, are you ready for work or what?" I called down the hall as I remained seated and finished off my beer.

"Yeah, almost! Are you?" My older sister called back and I rolled my eyes. I let my eyes drift to my room and thought on how I really need my black and white high top Converse right about now. I smirked as they slowly drifted out of my room and towards me.

"Yup, just need to put my shoes on!" I answered as I took my Converse from the air and pulled them onto my feet. Let me explain. Okay, my sister is telepathic and I m telekinetic. It s weird, considering Jason has no powers at all. My powers fully surfaced when I was only two and Sookie always had the ability to read minds. To tell the truth, I hated it when she dug around in my brain when I got back from a date or something. I felt so violated to know that my own sister would think so bad of me that she had to rummage around in my brain to make sure I was still a virgin.

I laced up my shoelaces and stood with my beer bottle in hand, adjusting my white Merlotte s tee-shirt and pulled my black shorts further up. I always bought them too big because I wanted an excuse to wear my black leather and silver skull belt. The skulls were real silver. I walked down the stairs and into the kitchen, tossing the empty bottle into the trash and stuffed my hands into my pockets as I tapped my foot impatiently.

"C mon, Sookie! Sam wants us to be on time for once in our lives, you know!" I yelled and in about a minute, my sister calmly walked down the stairs with her purse slung under her arm and holding my tiny black leather purse/backpack that I use as a backpack more than anything. "Thanks." I said as I took it and slung it onto my back and we walked out the front door, locking it behind us. "So how's Bill?" I asked innocently and she mock glared at me. "What?"

"Everything is fine between me and my boyfriend, why do you ask?"

"Because every time I go out on a date you poke around in my head and you know it pisses me off. Why aren t I allowed to ask about how things are going with you and Bill?" I asked haughtily as we climbed into her little yellow car.

"I'm okay with it, but I thought you didn t like Bill."

"It's not that I don t like him it's just that he can be overbearing sometimes and a bit too old fashioned for my taste." I retorted as I pulled the sun block thingy down from the roof of the car to look at myself in the mirror, checking to make sure my makeup looked okay. My makeup consisted of heavy black eyeliner, black mascara and light pink lip gloss. I smiled when the sun rays drifting in from my open window caught sight of the new blood red lip ring I had just bought for the hole in the left side of my lip. I've had that piercing, along with the double two piercings in my ears and the one in the right ear where my cartilage is, since I was 16. I was very proud of my lip ring because it drew more men in, which meant more tips for me. Oh, Sookie and I are both waitresses at Merlotte s.

"Well, he doesn't mind you in the least. He actually finds you quite charming in a sense."

I scoffed. "I bet he does." I mumbled under my breath.

"He does! In fact, he wants you to join us on an outing we're going on tonight." Sookie smiled brightly as we pulled into Merlotte s parking lot.

"Oh? And where is this outing ?" I asked boredly as we climbed out of her car and I slammed the door shut.

"Someplace in Shreveport called Fangtasia." She answered as she followed close behind me. I froze in my steps and turned to look at her scrutinizing.

"You do realize that that s a vampire bar, right?" I asked with an internal groan. I heard all about vampire bars from Jason and Lafayette and I didn t really want to go to one.

"Yes, but Bill will be with us and he promised to make sure we re both alright and safe." She informed me, hoping to appease my sudden uncomfortable-ness, but I just rolled my eyes and stalked into the bar. "Is that a yes or a no?" She called after me.

"Fine, I ll go, but don t expect me to be the good little girl." I answered as she followed me back into Sam's office to put our things away. I grabbed my apron and tied it around my waist with a sigh and snatched my notebook and pen from the shelf I used. I then walked out to the bar and went to a table in my section to start my physical abuse from the customers. I swear that if one of these customers grabs my ass like they have been doing for the past week, I m gonna scream and knock them into the next millennia with an evil laughter to follow. I just hope Sam won't mind losing a few customers.

* * *

By the time we had gotten off work, I had gotten felt up by ten men in total and three younger teenagers. I was about to start swinging when Sookie said it was time for us to head home.

"Halle-fucking-lujah!" I exclaimed as I walked back into the Sam's office and took my apron off, grabbing my stuff. "Danny Orlando was just about to lose the ability to have children." I muttered to Sookie as we made our way for the door and she laughed.

"You really do need to learn to control that temper of yours, Trudy. It's gonna get you in a huge heap of trouble if you don't." She warned and I smirked.

"Oh, I know, but that makes it more exciting and suspenseful for me. Gives me an edge and makes life more fun." I explained and sank into my seat in Sookie s ancient car. The sun had already set so we were on our way home to get ready for our night at Fangtasia with Bill.

"But still, Tru. I don t want you getting hurt because you said the wrong thing to the wrong person, which you're lucky hasn't happened already." She started up the car and started to drive us home. I just looked out the window with a frown and sighed mentally. I really wasn't looking forward to Fangtasia tonight.

When we got home, we both went straight upstairs and locked ourselves in our rooms. I looked through my closet for something to wear and sighed. 'What the fuck do you wear to a vampire bar that doesn t say come on and take a bite out of me while you fuck me until I can t walk'? I thought irritably. I shrugged that thought off before I could even think more into it and pushed through the clothes in my closet.

I looked for about five minutes before I decided on a pair of low ride black skinny jeans and a black tank top that had 'Blood on the Dance Floor' written on it in dripping bloody words. The tank top only reached to just above my bellybutton and showed off my curves and flat stomach. I looked at myself in my floor length mirror and decided to keep my hair the way it was and placed a blood red bow with black polka dots on it on the left side of my head, just above my ear.

I jumped slightly as I was sliding my feet into my Converse when I heard a knock on my door. "Trudy, can I come in?" Sookie called through the door and I raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, come on in!" I said simply while I tied my shoe laces. She opened the door and held up two different dresses. One was black and lacey and the other was white and red. Her hair and makeup was already done and she was wearing her house robe.

"Which should I wear?" She asked in a panicked voice and I frowned.

"Well, what message are you trying to send?

"Message?"

"Yeah. My message tonight is 'stay the fuck away from me and no one loses their ability to have kids'. Now yours is..." I trailed off and waved my hand around as I stood from my seat on my bed and bounced on the balls of my now Converse clad feet.

"I want people to know that I m taken and not open to talking to anyone." Sookie answered confidently and I smirked.

"Go with the white and red, then." I answered as I slid my slide phone into my back pocket.  
"And for the shoes?"

"I would go with the white heels, but that's just me." I told her and she nodded. "Hurry up. Bill should be here in a few minutes." Her eyes widened and she looked on the clock hanging on one of my black walls before she ran back into her room and slammed the door shut behind her. I smirked widely and calmly closed my door behind me, walking down the stairs as someone, most likely Bill, knocked on the door. I opened the door and waved when I saw Bill standing there, looking very spiffy and patient.

"Hello, Trudy." He greeted with a soft smile as he walked in when I allowed him to.  
"Hey, Bill, what's up?" I asked and went to sit on the sofa in the living room. "Sookie's almost done. She's just having a bit trouble with what she should wear to a vampire bar. I was, too, to be honest." I admitted as he sat down in the chair across from me.

"Oh, don t worry, you'll fit right in." He assured me and I smiled softly. See, I like Bill and all, but sometimes he could just get on my last nerve. He's kinda annoying when it comes to mine and Sookie's safety, but I don t blame him. We're both magnets for trouble and have been ever since we got our gifts at birth.

"Bill!" Sookie called from the top of the stairs with a wide smile before she basically ran down the stairs. Bill ran, with vampire speed, to the bottom of the stairs and embraced her passionately when she reached him.

I rolled my eyes and grabbed my iPod from the coffee table in front of me. I wrapped the cord around my neck loosely and let the wire to the ear phone hide under my shirt. This is what I used to do in school to listen to music and not get caught. It never failed and always kept me occupied on something else.

"When you guys are done hanging all over each other, I'll be in the car." I called to them as I left the house and walked down the steps to the porch. I had been scanning through my playlists on my iPod the whole time, my earphones already in place. I finally decided on my Escape the Fate playlist when I was seating comfortably in the back seat of Bill's car. I turned so my back was against the door and my legs were on the empty seat next to me. I let myself zone out for a while as I listened to Max Green's bass, Monte Money's guitar, Robert Ortez's drums, and Craig Mabbitt's wonderful voice.

Before I knew it, Sookie, Bill, and I were all standing in front of Fangtasia. I took an earphone out and let it hang off my breast as we all walked towards a big burly man who was posing as the bouncer. I just rolled my eyes boredly and placed my earphone back in my ear and put on 'Let it Go', one of my absolute favorites, as Bill, Sookie, and the vampire exchanged words. I didn't pay attention and ignored the fact that the vampire's eyes were running up and down my body like I were a piece of meat being dangled in front of a starving dog. I just continued to listen to my music and walked into the bar/club with my sister and her boyfriend. I grinned when 'Situations' came on and bobbed my head along with the song.

I glared at Sookie when she ripped one of my earphones out and glared right back at me. "What?"

"Do you want a drink, Trudy?" She asked in the same tone as me and I grinned at the thought of alcohol in my system.

"Yes, please." I retorted childishly and she smiled like she used to when we were kids and I had asked her where babies came from. Of course, she gave me some crap story about the stork carrying the baby hundreds of miles to the perfect family. Even when I was little, I knew that the story was a load of shit and I asked Jason instead, who gave me a detailed answer straight away. I love my brother, I really do, but he scarred my ten year old brain and I blame him for my perverted-ness now.

"What would you like?" Bill asked, also smiling down at me. I kinda felt like Sookie and Bill were my parents and I was asking for some food or a new toy.

"Uh..." I thought for a minute and frowned. "Hmm, you know, I don t know." I answered truthfully. This was a bit of a shock to me because I always knew what I wanted and most of the time I got it. Now, don t go pointing a finger at me and saying I'm over confident, overbearing, or selfish because I'm not. I don't know how or why but when I see something I want or like I almost always get it, no matter what. Sookie and Jason call it my powers of beautiful persuasion, i.e. everybody loves the way I look and want to hand over stuff to me without costing me a penny.

Now that I think about it it seems kinda odd to be coming to a vampire bar when Dawn, an old friend of mine from school and Jason s on-again-off-again ex-girlfriend, just died. She had been strangled in her apartment. She always was one for getting into trouble, so it doesn t really surprise me all that much, but Jason was heartbroken and I had cried myself to sleep that night. She had been one of my best friends and a coworker.

"You know what? I would like a beer, period." I finally answered and they both nodded.

"Bill. Haven t seen you in a while." A voice said from behind me and I turned to see a tall blonde woman wearing all black and her hair pulled back.

"I'm mainstreamin'." He replied curtly.

"Good for you." She sounded extremely bored before her eyes zeroed in on me and Sookie, who was standing next to me. "Who're the dolls?"

"Pam, this is Sookie and Trudy. Trudy and Sookie, this is Pam." Bill introduced us and I frowned, crossing my arms over my chest as Sookie smiled.

"Pleased to meet you." She said as she extended her hand for Pam to shake. Pam just looked at it in disdain.

"Can I see your IDs?" Pam asked us and I rolled my eyes, pulling my wallet from my back pocket while Sookie shuffled through her purse.

"Oh, sure. How funny. Who'd have thought? Gettin' carded at a vampire bar." Sookie murmured, trying to break the ice with the vampire. I just sighed and held my ID out to Pam with Sookie.

"I can no longer tell human ages. Pam informed boredly and scanned our IDs. "We must be careful we serve no minors in any capacity." She held our cards out to us and let her eyes drop to me. "21, huh? Lucky. How sweet it is." She stated with a sarcastic smile and I nodded, taking my ID before Bill, Sookie, and I walked off.

I then took the time to look at our surroundings to see tourists, vampires dancing on raised platforms, and blood red walls. I'm sorry, but this place looks more like a ride at Disney World than it does a real life vampire bar." I stated, smiling lightly.

"Well, don t get too comfortable." Bill advised and I raised an eyebrow in question, stuffing my hands into my back pockets. "It tends to get more authentic as the night wears on.

"Well, then I need a drink." I replied and made a beeline for the bar with Bill and Sookie right behind me. They caught up to walking beside me.

"Can I buy your drinks?" Bill asked politely and I grinned.

"Hell yeah!" I replied easily. Hey, a free drink's a free drink.

"Uh, please." Sookie answered softly as we reached the bar and the bartender appeared behind it; obviously a vampire.

"How's it goin', Bill?" He asked, looking like he could care less.

"Very well." Bill replied, none the less.

"I'll say it is." His eyes then dropped to me and Sookie. "These two your meal for tonight?"

"These are my friends Trudy and Sookie. Sookie and Trudy, Longshadow." Bill introduced us again to yet another vampire.

"Nice to meet you." Sookie stated while I just raised an eyebrow. Longshadow just stared at us. "I'll have a gin and tonic, please."

"Budweiser." I ordered when his eyes darted to me and leaned against a bar stool beside me.

"And I'll have a bottle of O Negative." Bill told him. His eyes then trailed off to the side but I didn't pay attention to what he was looking at. "Longshadow, Sookie here would like to know if she could ask you a few questions. Would this be acceptable?"

I watched with interest as Sookie pulled a couple photographs from her purse and handed them to the long haired vampire before us.

"I just have a couple of pictures I'd love you to take a look at. You recognize either of these women?" Sookie asked and I watched as Long shadow's eyes looked at both the pictures.

"Yeah, I seen 'em both here before." He answered with a nod.

"Great, thank you." Sookie smiled and I caught onto what she was doing when I saw a picture of Dawn.

"Would you by any chance know who they talked to or hung around with?" I asked.

"That's something we don t notice here. You won't either." Longshadow answered in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Okay, then. Thank you. I appreciate you taking the time." Sookie said honestly.

He held up the picture of Maudette. "This one; she wanted to die."

"How can you tell that?" I asked curiously and he looked up at me.

"Everyone who comes here does, in their own way. That's who we are: death."

I just shrugged and grabbed my beer while Bill took the blood and the gin and tonic. We went and sat at a table near a neon sign, but I was too busy looking up towards the stage in the back of the room. _'Is that a throne?'_ I thought slowly and Sookie glanced at me with an amused smile as I took a gulp of my beer. I looked to the man on the throne and blinked. I couldn't see his face because it was hidden in shadows but he's dressed in all black; that much I could tell. His elbows were resting on the arms of the chair and his finger tips were together.

"How're your drinks?" Bill asked us and I smirked.

"It's a beer. Nothing special, dude." I stated and he smiled.

"A gin and tonic's pretty much a gin and tonic no matter where you drink it." Sookie answered.

"I know exactly what you mean." Bill replied and my eyes drifted to the throne again.

"Who's the dude on the throne?" I asked with an amused smirk.

"Oh, you noticed him, did you?" Bill questioned, looking over with Sookie.

"Well, it's kinda hard not to." I said in an obvious tone. "It's not like I meant to, though.

"Everyone does. That's Eric. He's the oldest thing in this bar." Bill stated and I changed the song on my iPod to 'Something'.

I watched as a bald man with a mustache kneeled in front of the vampire called Eric. He touched Eric's knee and Eric in return kicked him halfway across the room. He landed on the floor, bleeding on the side of his face, and a vampire chick walked up to him and said something before she led him away.

"Still think you're in Disney World?" Bill asked me and I smiled devilishly.

"Mental note: some vampires don't like to be touched." I said to Sookie and she laughed lightly. "You getting anything yet?" I asked, reffering to the fact that she's been reading peoples minds the whole time.

"All anyone's thinkin about here is sex, sex, sex." My sister answered disdainfully.

"Ugh, didn't need to know that shit." I murmured and leant back in my seat.

Bill smiled. "One needn't be telepathic to pick up on that." He then sat up straighter before either of us could reply and looked towards the stage with the throne. I glanced over to see Pam now standing beside Eric and they were looking directly at us. "Uh, oh."

"'Uh, oh'?" I asked, alarmed. "Don't you dare say 'uh, oh', Bill Compton. You are a vampire and not supposed to be saying things like 'uh, oh'!"

"It s Eric. He's scanned the both of you two twice. He's goin' to summon us."

"He can do that?" Sookie asked, surprised and I slammed my head onto the table.

"Yes, Sookie, he can do that." I answered, my voice being muffled out in the table. "If he couldn't, would he honestly be sitting on a fuckin' throne on a fuckin' stage?"

"Good point." Sookie mumbled and I looked up when she grabbed my arm and pulled me up. Bill had her hand in his and we were walking towards the stage. Well, they were walking and I was being dragged by Sookie. I did not want to go up on a fuckin' stage! I have stage fright and claustrophobia! Not cool whatsoever!

When we reached the stage, I could see Eric much more clearly. He had shoulder length silky blonde hair and deep blue eyes. His eyes were what mostly stood out to me.

"Bill Compton. It's been a while." Eric mused and I detected a Swedish accent.

"Yes, well I've been Mainstreaming."

"I heard. I see that is..." He trailed off as he noticed Bill holding Sookie's hand tightly in his. "...going well for you."

"Yes, of course. Uh, sorry. Eric, these are my friends-"

"Trudy and Sookie Stackhouse." Eric interrupted again and I raised an eyebrow.

"How do you know our names?" Sookie asked slowly.

"I never forget a pretty face." Pam stated and pointed to her head. "You're both in my vault."

"That's...perfect." I said slowly and sarcastically and crossed my arms over my chest, tapping my foot impatiently.

"It's nice to meet you." Sookie said to Eric.

"Well, aren't you sweet?" He mumbled, unfazed.

"Not really." I smirked. "But she's definitely sweeter than me." Eric raised an eyebrow with a ghost of a smirk on his face before he turned towards Pam and said something in Swedish. Well, at least I think it's Swedish I never paid attention in school.

"So, Miss Stackhouse, well both of you, I understand you've both been asking questions about some of my customers." Eric stated in English and I blinked.

"Yeah, we have, but what's wrong with asking a few questions?" I asked.

"If you have anything to ask, you should ask it to me." He answered seriously and I shrugged, holding my hand out to Sookie as she rummaged through her purse for the pictures.

"Alright, well," I paused as I held the pictures of Maudette and Dawn out to him, "you know either of these chicks?" He took them and looked them over as Pam looked over his shoulder.

"Hmm..." He mused as he held up the picture of Maudette. "Well, this one offered herself to me, but I found her too pathetic for my attentions. Now this one, however..." He held up the picture of Dawn and my stomach tightened at his next words. "...I have tasted.

"I remember 'em both." Pam added.

"That vault workin' out for ya', huh?" I asked, almost sarcastically and shakily. The stage fright was starting to take a hold on me as I felt a few people in the bar staring at us. Sookie placed a hand on my shoulder to calm me down as Eric looked at me.

"Never had either of them, though." Pam continued. "They weren t really my type."

"Well..." I mumbled and took the photos from Eric's outstretched hand. "...thanks. That's all we need from you." I announced, turning to leave. I was eager to get off this damn stage/

"I'm not finished with you yet." Eric stated and I turned to see him smiling slightly. "Please. Sit." Sookie and I glanced at each other before we decided it'd be better to sit. I took a deep shaky breath of fear as I sat on Eric's right, Sookie sat on his left, and Bill remained standing in front of Eric.

"So, Bill. Are you quite attached to your friends?" Eric asked as he looked at Sookie. I waited for the all too familiar words to come out of dear ol' Mr. Compton's mouth.

"She is mine!" Bill stated menacingly and I coughed in my hand. I was still uncomfortable with the whole bond between Bill and Sookie thing.

"Yes. I am his." Sookie confirmed.

"What a pity...for me." He then to look at me with interest and I raised an eyebrow, my arms still crossed. "And you?"

"I belong to no one." I said forcefully and I swear there was a flash in his eyes as he grinned and turned to look at Bill.

"Sit with us. We have catching up to do, you and I. It has been too long." Eric implored and Bill hesitated.

"Yes..." He slowly sat down beside Sookie as Eric looked again at me. I just blinked and looked at him in boredom. In my head, hormone alarms were going off like crazy. I hate being 21 and still having raging teenage hormones.

"We have to get out of here." Sookie suddenly said as she looked at a man wearing mesh sleeves in the crowd.

"Sookie..." Bill murmured and I looked at Sookie. She locked eyes with me and I immediately knew something was wrong.

"Eric, the cops are coming." Sookie said seriously and he and Pam looked at her. "There's gonna be a raid-"

"You're not an undercover cop, are-" Ha, I cut off the King of Interrupting.

"We're not, but by the looks of things, that man in the mesh sleeves and hat is." I said as I nodded towards the man and Eric looked at me.

"Even if you two are right, we do nothing illegal here." Eric stated and I rolled my eyes.

"Really? 'Cause it seems that Sookie has caught something illegal in her head." I retorted as I nodded to Sookie. She had that faraway look she always got when she was reading into something important.

"There's a vampire named Taryn in the ladies room with that man you kicked before." Sookie informed and I smiled lazily.

"She's most likely feeding off the poor sucker." I added.

"How do you know this?" Pam asked Sookie and I immediately moved to stand beside Sookie, glaring. Bill and Eric stared at us in curiosity.

"Freeze!" Someone suddenly shouted and Eric, Pam, the undercover cop, and the woman he was with turned their heads in the direction of the voice. "Police! Freeze! Don t move!"

I watched in alarm as police officers that were dressed in combat gear entered the club and Eric stood. I stared up at him with wide eyes as he stood beside me. Dude's at least 7 feet tall!

"Follow me." He said and we all followed him as he made his way to the back of the club and pushed a door open, which just so happened to be an exit. We all quickly exited and Bill knelt down, gesturing for me to climb on his back. I growled under my breath and quickly wrapped my arms his neck and jumped so that my legs could wrap around his waist. He then swiftly picked Sookie up bridle style. I watched over his shoulder as Eric and Pam seemed to glide away. Eric then turned his head and locked eyes with me. "I enjoyed meeting you, Trudy Stackhouse. You will come again." He said confidently before they disappeared before my eyes. I held my breath as Bill turned and ran with me on his back and Sookie in his arms.

* * *

I stared at the stereo in Bill s car as it played classical music that was definitely not English. I swear it sounded like cats fighting over a piece of tuna in an alley.

"Can we turn this down?" Sookie asked with a slightly nervous smile when she had read my mind. Bill nodded and turned the music down.

"What the hell is that language, anyway?" I asked, still horrified by the sound of that music. I was sitting in the backseat and my iPod had crapped out on me a while back.

"Cambodian. You don't like it?" Bill asked and I was already leaning forward to turn the stereo off.

"You think we can pull over for a minute? I need things to stop." Sookie stated and I nodded in agreement.

"Sure." Bill pulled over and shut the car off. I groaned and let myself fall to the ground.

"You okay, Tru?" Sookie asked in slight amusement and I moaned in reply. "I'm gonna take that as a yes. I just need a couple minutes of quiet and then we can go."

"Well, I'm in no hurry. You take your time." Bill replied.

"I'm sorry I've got you into any trouble tonight."

"Don't apologize. We vampires are always in some kind of trouble. I prefer to be in it with you."

I just blinked and crossed my arms in front of me, laying my head down. I started to hum to 'Situations' quietly because I knew they were about to kiss. I was just hoping that they remembered that they had a young, untouched mind in the car still. I jumped when we all heard police sirens and squished myself to the ground.

"Oh, this can t be happening." Sookie mumbled and then glanced down at me. "Don't move and don't make a sound, got it?" She asked and I nodded with a smirk. I grabbed a blanket that had been under the seat I had previously been sitting on and threw it over myself, silencing myself.

"Open up." I heard a gruff voice order.

"Open the window and let me do the talkin', okay?" Sookie ordered and I heard the sound of the window being rolled down. "Hello, officer."

"Evenin', miss. What are you two doin' out this late?"

"Drivin' home from a date."

"Uh huh, we were raidin' a bar not too far from here. Y'all comin from there by any chance?"

"No. Not us."

"Uh huh. It's called Fangtasia. That ring any bells? How about you, son? You seem awful quiet. Don't you talk?"

"I'm a man of few words." Bill answered and I bit my tongue to keep myself from coughing.

"A man of few words. I like that. Let me shine this here on your neck, miss, if you don t mind." I heard a shuffling nose and a quiet click. My eyes widened when I realized Bill had let out his fangs.

"N-not at all." Sookie mumbled.

"Why don't you ask her if you can shine it between her legs?" Bill sounded irritated.

"Excuse me!"

"Bill!" Sookie exclaimed.

"Vampires sometimes like to feed from the femoral artery. The blood flows more freely down there so one doesn t have to suck as hard..." Bill must've turned towards the officer again because I heard a quiet gasp. "...or so I ve been told. I like your gun. It s a beautiful weapon."

"Thank you."

"May I have it?"

"Bill, I want you to stop this right now." Sookie demanded of him.

"Sure, I guess." I heard a piece of metal click and knew that the officer had handed over the gun. Is he...? He's fucking glamouring the poor man!

"Nice. It's heavier than I imagined. Is it loaded?"

"Well, yes. Yes, it is. Yeah."

"Bill, you are freaking me out."

"Now, you listen to me, officer. I do not take kindly to you shining your light in the eyes of my female companion. And as I have more than 100 years on you, I do not take kindly to you calling me 'son'. So the next time you pull somebody over on suspicion of bein a vampire, you better pray to God that you're wrong. Because that vampire may not be as kind to you as I'm about to be. I'm not gonna kill you, but I am gonna keep your gun. Does that sound fair?"

"Yes."

"Yes, what?"

"Yes, sir."

"There you go." Bill sounded proud of himself. "Now, you have a nice night. He then started the car and started driving. I blinked in astonishment and sat up, back in my seat, keeping silent and not commenting.

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**Author's Note: Alright, so there's the first chapter. If anybody has any ideas on how I can make this story better, I'm all ears. I take constructive criticism very well and I very rarely hold grudges against people.**

** Please Review!**


	2. Chapter 2 Sparks Fly Out

**Disclaimer: I have no way of actually owning anything from True Blood. The only thing I own is Trudy and the occasional random characters that I add for my enjoyment and to better the story.**

**By the way, thank you everyone who reviewed! It was much appreciated. If I hadn't gotten those reviews, I probably wouldn't be updating as quickly as I had chosen to do.**

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Chapter 2 Sparks Fly Out

As soon as Bill parked the car outside the house, I threw the door open and stuffed my hands into my front pockets, walking towards the front door after I closed the door with my foot. Bill and Sookie need to hack this little problem out on their own. I quietly opened the screen door and closed it behind me. I then kicked off my shoes and grabbed them, walking up the stairs to my room. I closed my door behind me and dropped my shoes by the door. I yawned and went over to my dresser. I pulled out a pair of red and black plaid short shorts and closed my dresser drawer. I turned and pulled my socks off and then sat down to pull off my skin tight skinny jeans. I threw those into my dirty clothes basket and pulled my shorts on. I walked over to my vanity and sat on the little stool. I carefully took the bow from my hair and set it down gently, smiling lightly. I had gotten this as one of my Christmas gifts from Lafayette a few years back.

I then looked at myself in the mirror and sighed irritably. My hair was windblown all to hell and my makeup was smudged from the sweat I had worked up in the stuffy bar that is Fangtasia. I grabbed the bowl that sat on my vanity and walked out of my room and into the bathroom. I turned the hot water on and felt to make sure it wasn t too hot. I then filled the bowl to about half way and took a washcloth from the cabinet and went back to my room. I sat down on my vanity stool again and dipped the washcloth in the warm water. I sighed and started to take my eyeliner, mascara, and lip gloss off.

When I was done with that, I ran a brush through my tangled hair and smiled when I felt how silky it felt. I then stood and walked over to my bed and lay down. I tried to sleep, but I kept tossing and turning in my bed. I finally groaned heavily and tossed my blankets off. I padded over to my desk and grabbed my laptop before I walked to the big window that doubled as a door. See I had a balcony. Sookie and I had rock paper scissored for it and I had won when we were kids. Gran also had a balcony. I smiled gently and pulled the door open, walking out into the comfortable warm climate of Louisiana night. I sat down in my old couch that I had Jason and Lafayette drag up here and opened my laptop on my lap as I sat Indian style. I turned my computer on and decided to go get some hot tea while I waited for it to boot up. I left my laptop on my side table and walked into my room and straight out the door. I softly walked down the stairs and into the kitchen.

I took a mug down from the cabinet and filled it with hot water before I stuck it in the microwave. I rummaged through another cabinet until I found what I was looking for; a tea bag and the jar we kept the sugar in. I smiled and took the mug out of the microwave when it beeped. I dropped the tea bag in and poured some of the sugar in. I then put the jar of sugar up again and took a spoon from a drawer before I walked back upstairs. I closed my door behind me and went out onto my balcony. I sat down in my couch and bobbed the tea bag in and out of the water to get it to mix right. I typed my password into my computer and waited for it to load. A picture of me, Lafayette, and Tara popped up when it did and I smiled fondly. This had been taken for my 21st birthday at Merlotte s.

I shook off the memory before it could surface and focused on what I was doing. I opened my journal and started in on what had happened today. About half way through, I took a sip of my warm tea and paused, looking up through my eyelashes at the tall vampire that stood on my balcony in front of me. I groaned and set my drink down, standing up to face him.

"What the fuck are you doing here, Eric?" I asked angrily and crossed my arms over my chest as he looked me up and down.

"I rather like your choice of clothing, Miss Stackhouse." He said coolly and reached out to twirl a piece of my purple hair around his finger. I just glared at him and unconsciously tugged my shorts down a bit lower to hide my pale thighs from view. Well, at least I hoped that helped to hide them.

"You didn't answer my question." I growled and he smirked with a twinkle in his eyes.

"Your sister seems to have special powers. I was curious as to if you possess any characteristics that would fall into that category as well."

"Why would I tell you that? I just met you and I honestly don't want to know you." I snapped and his smirk only widened.

"That cut me deep, Trudy, it really did." He said with fake hurt and clutched at his chest with his free hand as his other hand tucked my hair behind my ear. I shivered as his cold fingers caressed my ear for a moment. He smirked and I glared back.

"Well, I don't care. I'm going to bed." I stated and grabbed my laptop and now empty mug. I walked into my room, leaving the door open, and sat the mug and laptop down on my desk again.

"Can I come in?" Eric asked from his position leaning against the door with his arms crossed over his chest.

"Nope." I answered and grabbed my blanket and wrapped it around my shoulders, sitting on the edge of my bed, facing him.

"Why not?" He asked with a smirk and I raised an eyebrow.

"Uh...because I don't want you being able to come into my house whenever you want." I said in a duh voice.

"Well, that just hurts."

"You'll deal, now leave." I replied and grabbed some lotion from my bedside table.

"Actually, I won't." He retorted and I looked up and locked eyes with him. "Let me in." He ordered in a low, enticing voice.

I blinked as I felt a force pushing into my brain and my mouth dropped open. "Are you trying to glamour me?" I asked angrily and he seemed surprise. "Get the fuck out of here, you fuckin' asshole!" I yelled and stood.

He turned to look behind him and swore under his breath in what i could guess to be Swedish. He looked back at me. "I will go, but only because it is almost dawn. Don't think that this is over, Miss Stackhouse."

"Goodbye, Mr. Northman." I said curtly in and icy tone as I closed my doors in his face and pulled my curtains closed. I growled and stomped my way over to my bed. I lay down and closed my eyes. I slowly drifted off into a dream that involved staking Eric Northman.

* * *

I sat at the kitchen table in my pajamas I wore last night and watched Gran frying eggs and talk to someone on the phone.

"Who is this?" She asked and I took a sip of my coffee. "I suggest that you hear what he has to say before you take to lynchin' him." She said and I raised an eyebrow in question. Who was she talkin' to and what the hell about? "Well, I will be at the church early if you would like to stop by and say hi. Mr. Compton's talk starts at eight." She changed the tone of her voice when Sookie entered and sat down across from me at the table. "Alright! Same to you! Bye now!" She then slammed the phone down.

"Phone's been ringin early today." Sookie observed and I smiled knowingly as I ate a piece of sausage.

"Oh, oh!" Gran exclaimed as she brought the eggs to the table. "Everyone is excited about meetin the town vampire tonight." She smiled at us as she served the eggs. "I didn't hear ya' two come in last night."

"You went to bed early, Gran." I stated and took a sip of my coffee.

"You didn't wanna hear us come in." Sookie added.

"Well..." Gran chuckled and walked back to the stove. "...I just thought I'd give you and Bill a little privacy, is all, Sookie." She explained.

"What about me?" I asked, confused and a little weary of what was going through my grandmother's head.

"Well, when you go to a club, you usually meet a boy."

"That certainly doesn't make me sound like a whore." I mumbled to Sookie before I looked back at Gran. "Gran, I don't go home with dudes. I usually go to clubs with Tara and Lafayette, so I go home with Lafayette, who's gay and doesn't swing for girls. I am still a proud virgin."

"Well, that explains that." Gran mumbled and I grinned.

"Gran, am I really that much of a lost cause that you gotta pin all your hopes for me on a vampire?" Sookie asked with a raised eyebrow as Gran came back to the table with the phone in hand and sat down between us.

"But he really seems like a very nice man."

"Well, he's not."

"He's not nice?"

"Technically, he's not even a man." I supplied as an answer and Sookie nodded in agreement.

"Oh, goodness! Did you and Bill have a fight?" Gran asked Sookie worriedly.

"No. Kinda. I don't think Bill and I have very much in common. He doesn't think like we do; he doesn't feel the way we do, if he feels at all." She then pierced a sausage and ate it.

"Well, I know that, if I had a chance to know somebody who'd experienced the world differently, I'd see it as a blessing and not somethin' to be scared of. Or hate." She held the phone to her chest as it began to ring again.

"I don't hate him. I just don't want to be his girlfriend."

The phone continued to ring and I smirked broadly. "Uh, the phone's ringin', Gran." I informed her and she blanked, looking at me.

"Umm, the machine'll pick it up." She smiled broadly and I chuckled.

* * *

When Sookie and I were at work, Sam and I were working the bar and Arlene and Sookie were waitressing. Sookie was currently refilling the ketchup bottles and spilt some on her hand.

"That vampire Bill would get a rise out of that." Arlene said as Sookie wiped her hand on a towel.

"You'd have to ask him yourself to find that out." I said absently as I wiped down the counter.

"Vamp club not all it was made out to be, huh? A lot of freaks, I hear. And people from Arkansas." Arlene stated.

"That place was filled from head to toe with Goth freaks, tourists, and vampires." I informed and crossed my arms on the bar.

"It was fine." Sookie concluded and continued to refill the ketchup.

"So what, then? Did that vampire get all handsy with you? Despite the fact that Trudy was probably five feet away?" Arlene asked and I hummed. That probably would happen if Bill was Eric.

"I can take care of myself. And no, I won't be goin out with him again."

Arlene and I looked at Sam and he cracked a small smile. I smiled softly. He's liked my sister since we first walked into Merlotte s for a job. That kinda made me sad because I always had a small crush on him, but I knew he d never really like me like that. He still considered me a kid since I had just reached drinking age a few months back. He even treats me like a child and is overprotective of me because of it. I do know that he likes my smell though. That's a good thing, right? I mean, every time I walked past him he inhales deeply with this blissful look on his face.

"Okay, that place was kinda freaky, but how are you ever gonna know until you go see for yourself." Sookie said as she looked up at us.

"I said my piece yesterday." Sam replied.

"I'm sorry it didn't turn out like you'd hoped, but better it happens now than before you end up hurt, or dead." Arlene apologized before she walked off.

"I hope you're not too flipped out to miss the Descendants of the Glorious Dead tonight." Sam approached Sookie hopefully and I sighed, reaching down for a bottle of whiskey.

"No, I gotta go. Gran spent all week on it." Sookie replied.

"Good, cause I was gonna ask if you wanna go with me."

My heart clenched as everyone, which is three customers and Andy Bellefleur at the bar, looked up at the three of us. See everyone in town knew I liked Sam, but he liked Sookie, so I couldn t do anything about it.

"Maybe we'll go grab a cup of coffee or somethin after." Sam continued and Sookie glanced at me sorrowfully as she set down the ketchup. I smiled reassuringly.

_'Just say yes, Sookie. He's never gonna like me, so just go ahead and go. Have fun.'_ I told her mentally and she gave a subtle nod sadly and looked back to Sam.

"Are you askin' me out?"

"Yeah, I am." Sam smiled nervously and looked down. "That's pretty much how I do it." He looked up at her again and I poured myself a shot of whiskey, knocking it back quickly. "Sometimes they even say yes." Sookie looked around to see everyone, excluding me, watching them expectantly.

"Everyone's lookin' at us." She observed.

"I know. You better say yes."

Sookie reached out towards my mind again and I sighed quietly, closing my eyes. _'Just say yes and go with Sam, Sookie. If you can't be happy with Bill, be happy with someone that wants to be with you.'_ She smiled sadly, but Sam didn t seem to notice the sorrow surrounding the two of us.

"Shoot. Why not?"

"Good." He then looked around at the people watching. "Eyes on your food, people." He ordered before he walked off.

Sookie came to stand in front of me on the other side of the bar and I opened my eyes to look at her. She looked full of guilt, but I just smiled reassuringly. "It's okay, Sook. I always knew that he never liked me because I'm just a kid to him. I'll move on, don't worry."

"Still, I'm really sorry. You know that I would've said no and could've put a good word in for you?"

"Yeah, but that would make me feel second best, Sookie. I want everybody in my life to be happy if I can't. If you're not gonna be with Bill, who also makes you happy, I know for a fact that Sam'd make you happy, too."

"It's just a date, Tru. You make it sound like he just proposed." She smiled softly and I smirked, twisting my rag. I then slapped her with it, making a loud snapping sound. "Ow!"

"Yeah, love hurts, sis." I told her and she rolled her eyes, continuing on with her refilling of the ketchup.

* * *

Eventually, nobody was left in the bar but the people working and Andy. Sookie went and talked to him for a bit before she came over to me and handed me the red tumbler that Andy had used as a glass.

"Need a sweet tea." She told me and I nodded and proceeded to get more tea. "Tara here yet?" She asked Sam.

"She just came in. She's in the ladies room." He answered and she literally stormed off to the bathroom. I blinked and placed Andy's drink in front of him.

"Thanks, Trudy. How you holdin' up?" He asked, sincerely.

I smiled softly and glanced at Sam, who was watching us from afar. "I m fine, Andy. Thanks, anyway, though. Enjoy your food." I told him and he nodded. I walked off and went to pass Sam on my way to the other end of the bar to get a bottle of water, but he stopped me by grabbing my arm. "Yeah, Sam?" I asked, not looking at him as I turned to face him.

"Are you okay, Trudy? You've been kinda down all day." He observed and I sighed mentally, looking up at him with my signature smile.

"Yeah, I'm fine. It just feels like everyone around me's happy and I'm not." I told them and he looked at me in concern. I just shook my head. "I'll be okay, Sam. Don't pity me." I said and took my arm away.

"Do you want the rest of the day off?" He asked, frowning.

"Nah, I'm okay to work, Sam." I said and walked back to Andy, who had just finished off his tea again. I smiled and brought it back with me to fill up.

"Keep that girl away from me!" I heard Tara yell as she walked out of the bathroom and passed me and Sam. I raised an eyebrow as Sookie walked out after her and picked up the red tumbler I had just filled again.

"Is everything okay?" Sam asked as she walked over to Andy and I sighed.

"I'm not so sure anymore, Sam. Everything's gone all to hell." I complained and wiped the counter were I had split some tea.

* * *

I showed up at the church with Gran, dressed in a dress that Sookie picked out. I moaned uncomfortably as I tugged on the hem of my sleeve. I was wearing a full white sun dress with spaghetti straps and a pair of black flats.

"Gran, this is so not me." I complained and she sighed, rubbing my back comfortingly.

"Well, you won't be dressed like that much longer. At least we allowed you to do your own hair." She smiled and I sighed, twirling a strand of my long bangs that hung around my face. Most of my hair was pulled back in a long ponytail with my bangs still covering my forehead and the bangs around my face that were purple stayed down. I also had a loose white bow tied into my ponytail. Sookie had insisted on it, but I didn't find a point. I only put it in my hair to get her to leave me alone about it.

"Okay, then." I mumbled and walked off to help Hoyt hand out flyers. "Hey, Fortenberry." I greeted and he grinned boyishly.

"Hey, Trudy. How you doin' tonight?" He asked and I smiled. "You look nice."

I groaned. "I don't feel like myself in this. I feel like a Barbie doll that Sookie used to have. She dressed me." I informed him and he chuckled.

"That sounds about right. You'd usually come to one of these things wearing jeans and a tee-shirt." He smiled as he gave a flyer out and I shrugged.

"Well, I don't dress up for church cause I don't believe in Christianity. You know that, Hoyt."

"Yeah, I know. Believe what you want to believe."

"I do. I believe in the earth and drawing our energy from her. We're here for a certain reason and mine is well, I haven't found that out yet, but I will." I stumbled over my words and he laughed.

"Yeah, okay." He patted me on the head and I frowned. I swatted his hand away and walked off with a chuckle.

"Trudy!" I heard two very familiar voices yell happily and I turned around and was tackled to the ground by one blonde boy and a red head girl. I groaned and smiled, happy to see them.

"Hey, Coby, Lisa. What's up?" I asked as I sat up and they helped me to stand. They then both hugged me around the waist. "Where's your mom and Rene?"

"Talking to your Gran." Lisa answered innocently and I smiled.

"Well, let's go find 'em, then." I suggested and took their hands and led them off to find Gran, Arlene and Rene.

We soon found them and I handed off the children to them before I turned and walked off again. I sighed and rubbed my arms sadly as I sunk into a seat. Not too soon later, Sookie sat down beside me and Sam sat beside her.

"Hey, Trudy. You okay?" Sookie asked as she hugged me. I smiled softly and hugged her back.

"Good, you?" I asked and she just smiled as Sam stared at me with wide eyes.

"Tru? Wow, you look different." He mused in an awed tone, making me chuckle. "I didn't even recognize you."

"Well, that's flattering...I guess. Sookie picked out the outfit. And honestly, Sam, did you seriously not know I was me? I've got to be the only one around for a hundred miles with naturally bleach blonde hair and light purple highlights."

He shrugged and smiled nervously. "I never really paid attention."

"Yuh huh, sure." I drew out the last word and settled back into my seat again. I looked around and noticed Tara sitting all by her lonesome. "Come on, guys. Let's go sit by Tara. She's all by herself." I proposed and Sookie nodded, standing. Sam, of course, followed close behind us as we went and sat in Tara's row. I sat beside her. "Hey, can we sit here?" I asked and she looked up at us.

"Hi, Tara." Sam smiled and she laughed nervously.

"Sure, come on in." She said and they sat down with Sam being on my other side. "Could always use more white people." She mumbled to herself and elbowed me, making me jump in surprise. I watched her as she fanned herself with a Jesus fan.

"Hey." Someone said from Tara's right. We all looked up to see Jason. "Mind if I sit with you?"

"Uh, sure, have a seat." Tara answered and he nodded, taking a seat beside her. He just then seemed to notice me, Sookie, and Sam.

"Hey, guys." He greeted and I smirked, shaking my head at him.

"How you feelin'?" Tara asked Jason and I just looked forward in boredom. I ignored everything around me until Gran walked up to the front and called for attention.

"Welcome." She greeted the crowd and I raised an eyebrow when I noticed the large cross that stood behind Gran had the American flag draped over it. Well, that's not odd at all... "It certainly is a pleasure to see so many new aces here this month. But Mayor Norris assures me that there will be enough ambrosia and tipsy cake or everyone." The crowd laughed politely and I rolled my eyes, crossing my arms over my chest and leaning back in my seat. I felt watched and glanced around but couldn't find who was watching me. I shrugged it off and paid attention to what Gran was saying. "Now, our guest tonight is a gentleman who, despite what you might have heard, is one of us. His family was among the first to settle in Bon Temps and he bravely fought for Louisiana in the war for Southern independence. Let us welcome one of the original sons of Bon Temps back to the town that he helped build. I give you First Lieutenant William Thomas Compton." Gran then stepped aside as Bill appeared behind a door near the pulpit. There was some scattered applause as the door shut beside him and he stepped up to the pulpit, looking out at the crowd.

"Thank you, Mrs. Stackhouse. If you'll pardon me for a moment..." He trailed off as he stepped down from the pulpit and I smiled as he removed the American flag from the cross and the crowd gasped. He then took the flag back to the empty flagpole and reattached it. He set the flagpole upright and looked up at us. "As a patriot of this great nation, I wouldn't dream of puttin' myself before Old Glory." He placed the flagpole on a pedestal and walked back up to the pulpit, speaking into the microphone. "As you can see, I did not burst into flames." He smiled and there was slight laughter, but I just continued to smile. He may tick me off sometimes, but he sure is great at being an American, vampire or not. "We vampires are not minions of the Devil. We can stand before a cross, or a Bible, or in a church, just as readily as any other creature of God. I am honored to stand before you tonight. Vampires have traditionally been very private, perhaps to our detriment. But I believe, if we reach out to one another, that we can coexist and even thrive together." He said the last few words, looking straight at Sookie.

She blushed and looked down at the floor and his smile widened. "I served in the 28th Louisiana infantry, formed in Monroe in 1862, under Colonel Henry Gray. It was there that we learned the value of human life, and the ease with which it can be extinguished. Uneducated as we were... we knew little of the political or ideological conflicts that had led to this point. But goin' to war was not a choice for us. We believed to be a man that we had a calling to fulfill. A destiny handed down to us from above. God forbid should any of our men become wounded or injured. Often the only recourse for a serious injury was amputation. More times than I care to remember, I had to hold down one of my fellow soldiers while the medic took a saw to his arm or leg. We had no anesthesia at the time. Apart from a bit of whiskey."

I noticed Sookie turn around in her seat and turned to see Royce, Chuck, and Wayne sitting behind us. I liked to call them the Redneck Stooges because that's exactly what they are. They were currently passing around a piece of garlic. I scowled as Chuck opened the garlic and I rolled my eyes with a sigh and turned to sit forward again and paid attention to Bill.

"It often seemed that the men bein' operated upon suffered more from his surgery than he did from his original wound. Even if he survived the amputation, the chance of subsequent infection was high." He paused and I caught the stench of garlic and heard the Redneck Stooges giggling behind me. I growled and was just about ready to hit one of them. "In the winter months, the nights could grow bitter cold." He continued and my mind painted a picture for me. I could see the pain and suffering the wounded soldiers went through and immediately felt like crying.

I snapped out of my thoughts as an elderly man stood. "My great-grandfather was in the 28th." He stated and we all turned to look at him. "I wonder if you might have known him. His name was Tolliver Humphries."

"Tolliver Humphries?" Bill clarified.

"Um, hmm." The elderly man nodded.

"Yes. I knew him very well. We fought together. Tolliver Humphries was my friend. He was a brave man, perhaps to a fault. I dare say it contributed to his death."

"What happened? Were you there?"

"I was. We were about 20 miles north of where I stand now. The Federals outnumbered us five to one. And they had better firepower as well. We'd spent much of the afternoon recovering the bodies of those we'd lost. There was a boy in our troop, no more than 12 or 14, who lay wounded in the middle of a field under poor cover. He called to us all day. He begged us to help him. He knew he would die if we didn t. I admit I considered shootin' the boy myself just to shut him up. But Tolliver convinced me that would be an act of murder, not war. He told me God wanted him to rescue that boy. I pleaded with him not to go. To think of his wife and children back home. He ran into that field like it was a cool spring day." As Bill narrated the scene, it was painted like a picture in my mind. I imaged a boy yelling for help, Bill aiming his rifle, Tolliver stopping him, and finally Tolliver running out to save the boy. "They shot him just as he reached the boy. It was obvious to us that he was beyond help. And then, after a while, the boy started screamin' again."

"What happened to the boy?" Mrs. Fortenberry asked from the crowd and I blinked back the tears I was started to get in the corners of my eyes. Another power that I had was the power to feel others emotions. There was so much sorrow in this room that it was making me cry and most of it was from the elderly man related to Tolliver and Bill.

"He lived. He survived the day and then under cover of darkness we retrieved him later that night, along with the body of Tolliver Humphries. But it seems that Tolliver was right. God did look after his descendants. Yes? Mayor Norris."

Mayor Norris stood and with the aid of his cane, he walked up to Bill. "I've been digging in the archives this week and I found this old tintype." He held up said item for Bill to see. "The inscription on the back says, Mr. W.T. Compton and Family. Can you tell us if this is a picture of you?"

Bill took the tintype and opened the frame. I felt a wave of great pain and sorrow hit me from Bill and frowned. He misses his family. "This this is a remarkable photograph. I remember the day we gathered to have this taken."

"When was the last time you were with them?" Mrs. Fortenberry asked.

"When I...I went to war in 1862. I...my human life ended before I had a chance to come back home."

"But choo become a a vampire after that, right?" Rene asked in his thick Cajun accent. "Couldn't cha go back to your family then?"

"No. No. That wouldn't have been possible." He closed the picture frame and dabbed his eyes with a handkerchief. I gaped at the sight. He was gonna burst into tears any minute, I could feel it. "I apologize. This is not a subject I'm very comfortable speaking about. But thank you for the photograph, Mayor. Brings back many memories for me." The Mayor went back to his seat and Bill walked back up to the pulpit. "Any other questions?"

* * *

I stood with Gran and Bill to thank the people for coming. Terry approached Bill and shook his head before hugging Bill, who looked slightly surprised but I just smiled.

"They don't understand, man. None of them will ever understand." Terry was close to sobbing and Bill nodded. "You stay sharp, brother."

"All right." Bill replied slowly and we watched as Terry walked off. He then turned to me and raised an eyebrow.

I smiled softly. "He went to Fallujah." I explained in sorrow and he nodded in understanding. Mrs. Fortenberry then walked up to us.

"Could I..." She trailed off as Hoyt joined us and smiled at me, which I returned with a tired look in my eyes. "Would it be possible to take a picture with you?"

"Of course." Bill smiled.

"You won't vanish in the photo?"

"That's just a myth. And it's one I'd be happy to disprove." He answered as she handed me a camera. "Come around." Mrs. Fortenberry moved so that Bill could wrap an arm around her shoulders and Hoyt moved to place his hand on Bill's left shoulder. It kinda reminded me of a family of three; Mrs. Fortenberry was shorter than Bill, but he was shorter than Hoyt. They all smiled and Hoyt gave a thumbs-up for me to take the picture as Gran stood beside me. I snapped the picture and gave Mrs. Fortenberry her camera back.

"There you go." I said.

"Thanks so much, Trudy." She said back before she and her son walked away.

Sookie and Sam walked up then.

"Hey! Great job tonight!" Sookie smiled at Bill.

"Wasn't he just marvelous?" Gran asked happily.

"Yeah, that was that was quite a show." Sam mumbled and I elbowed him in the ribs, making him wince and glance at me with a smirk.

"Bill, you remember Sam, right?" Sookie asked.

"Yes, you're Sookie and Trudy's employer." Bill said curtly.

"Not when we're off-duty." Sam retorted and put an arm around Sookie. I felt a pang in my heart and closed my eyes, taking quiet subtle deep breaths through my nose.

"No, legally you still are." Bill argued, glancing at me. He must've noticed my discomfort with the situation.

"Well, I just wanted to congratulate you. Seems like you've won everybody over." Sam said, obvious venom in his voice and Sookie and I locked eyes.

_'Ah, testosterone. You gotta love it.'_ I thought with a mental smirk and she seemed to be scolding me in her mind and eyes.

"Well, some, I hope." Bill agreed with Sam, looking at Sookie.

"Well, we better get going. We're gonna grab a cup of coffee before we call it a night." Sam said, obviously trying to get Sookie away from Bill as fast as he could.

"Coffee. Sounds delightful." Bill murmured coldly as Sookie brought me and Gran into a double hug.

"Good night, guys. I'll see ya'll later." She smiled and we both nodded as they left.

"He seems nice." Bill commented and I chuckled.

"Yuh huh." I agreed.

* * *

I smiled as I sat beside Jason in Merlotte's after I left the church. I now had my hair hanging around my face and the ribbon was in my leather jacket, which was draped over the back of my chair. Hoyt and Rene were sitting with us also. We'd been here for a while and had already finished off a pitcher of beer, which sat in the middle of our table now.

"Man, this place is crawlin' with hot chicks and we're just sittin' here like our dicks are stuck together." Hoyt complained and I scoffed, rolling my eyes at him. He just smiled back as I crossed my arms over the table and leaned on it, crossing one of my legs over the other. I had taken off my flats earlier and they rested beside my chair on the ground.

"Don't look at me." Rene responded. "My chere is right there." He said and looked over his shoulder. I looked up to see Arlene taking an order from a table nearby. Jason unbuttoned a few of the buttons at the top of his shirt and rubbed the table with his hands as Rene turned back towards us. "You want a girl so bad, you get one yourself. You-" Before he could continue, Arlene ran her fingers through his hair as she walked past and I grinned that he got distracted by a simple touch.

"Want another round?" Jason asked us.

"Yeah?" Ren said it like it was obvious.

"Hey..." Hoyt licked his lips as we all looked at him. "...maybe we should order up a couple of those Tru Bloods." At this Rene made a disgusted face while I simply raised an eyebrow. "After meetin' a vampire tonight, don't you wanna try it and see what it's like?"

"I go to the dog races. You see me eating Alpo?" Ren asked rhetorically.

"Yeah, Hoyt, I don't think it's such a good idea." I said, agreeing with Rene.

"I just thought he was pretty cool, was all." Hoyt told us with a small shrug and I hummed in understanding, though I had met the vampire many times before.

"Jason, go get us some more Dixie Draft." I ordered, but he wasn t paying attention. I narrowed my eyes and hit him in the arm, but he still didn t respond.

"Jason!" Hoyt called and he looked back at us. "Dixie Draft?"

"Yeah, I'll get it." He picked up the empty beer pitcher and stood. "I love you guys." He told us and I smiled at him.

"We know, bro." I told him and he went over to the bar as Hoyt, Rene, and I all exchanged worried looks.

"Hey, Trudy?" Arlene questioned as she walked over to us and I raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah?"

"Do you think you could help out? I'm the only waitress and I could use the help." She begged and I sighed.

"Let me go change." I said as I stood and looked at Hoyt. Rene was talking to Arlene now. "Look after my jacket, 'kay?" He nodded in understanding with a smile before I walked back to Sam's office, where I kept a spare uniform for just these sorta emergencies. I grabbed my uniform, along with a pair of old full black low top Converse, before I walked into the bathroom and quickly changed. I then went straight to work and picked up half the tables, which just so happened to include the Redneck Stooges. I rolled my eyes as I took their orders and put it in for Lafayette.

* * *

I bit my lip apprehensively as I walked away from the booth and up to the service window and sat a hamburger down, looking up at Lafayette as I did so.

"Is there a problem with my burger?" He asked, looking at me from the stove as I continued to bite my lip.

"Lafayette, it's just the idiotic rednecks of the town." I told him.

"Well, what's they problem?"

"Man, it's not worth it." I said, shaking my head as Arlene came over and put in an order.

"What did they say?" He asked as he came over to us and looked out the service window. I turned to see the Redneck Stooges, who were watching us.  
I sighed as I faced Lafayette and he looked at me expectantly. "He said that the burger..." I trailed off and jumped when Lafayette slammed the spoon he was holding down.

"What did they say, Trudy?" He asked me angrily and I sighed again.

"He said the burger might have AIDS." I told him. He was silent for a moment as he tilted his head to the side before he started to remove his earrings.

"Lafayette?" Arlene questioned and I smiled lightly as he removed his apron and left the kitchen, burger in hand. We both turned to watch as Arlene clasped her hands behind her head worriedly. "Oh, fudge."

"Damn right, but at least we'll get a good show." I said with a smirk, moving out into the restaurant so I could hear the conversation.

"'Scue me, who ordered the hamburger..." Lafayette paused as he reached Royce, Wayne, and Chuck's table. "...with AIDS?" Wayne and Chuck laughed at this while I crossed my arms.

"I ordered the hamburger deluxe." Royce said as he looked up at Lafayette from his seat.

"In this restaurant, a hamburger deluxe come with fren' fries, lettuce, tomato, and mayo and AIDS!" Lafayette yelled the last two words before he looked around at the people who had stopped their conversations to observe. "Do anybody got a problem with that?" He shouted.

"Yeah!" Royce replied and I raised an eyebrow in question. "I'm an American and I got a say in who makes my food."

"Well, baby, it's too late for that. Faggots been breedin' your cows, raising your chickens, even brewin' your beer long before I walked my sexy ass up in this mother fucker. Everything on your goddamn table got AIDS."

"You still ain't makin' me eat no AIDS burger!" Royce replied angrily and Lafayette leaned down to be face to face with him.

"Well, all you gotta do is say 'hold the AIDS'. Here..." I watched with a grin as he picked up the top bun off the burger and licked off the mayonnaise before he crammed it into Royce's face. "Eat it!" He shoved it into his face and Wayne and Chuck quickly stood to hit Lafayette. Before they could even do that, though, Lafayette decked them both as Royce stood and tried to hit him, which resulted in himself getting punched in the gut and a right uppercut to the jaw. Lafayette then picked up the plate as the Redneck Stooges groaned in pain. "Bitch, you come in my house, you gonna eat my food the way I fucking make it!" Lafayette shouted. "Do you understand me?" He dumped the food into Royce's lap. Royce looked up at him angrily before he knocked the plate off his lap. "Tip yo' waitress!" He ordered before he spun around and headed back to the kitchen, walking past Jason, Rene, and Hoyt's table. Jason high fived him before he, Hoyt, and Rene burst out laughing, making me giggle lightly before I heard my phone ring in my back pocket.

It was 'Pain' by Three Days Grace so I knew it was Sookie.

"Yo, sis." I greeted and leaned against the bar.

"Hey, can you come pick me up? I had a fight with Sam." She said and my smile dropped.

"Sure, where are you?" I asked and she gave me directions to get to where she was. "Alright, hang tight. I'll be right there." I went over to where Arlene was standing at the service window, talking to Lafayette about what he just did.

"Okay, bye." She said and I snapped my phone shut.

"Hey, guys, I'll gotta go. You think you can handle it now, Arlene?" I asked her and she nodded as I walked to Sam's office. I grabbed my clothes from earlier and went to change in the bathroom, bringing my uniform with me to wash. I walked out, waving and saying bye to everyone. I then dug around for my keys and walked towards my black 1967 Chevy Impala that I had inherited from my father. I paused just by the door when a wave of lust hit me. I turned around slowly and came face to face with a black wife beater, covered by a leather jacket. I sighed heavily and looked up at Eric. "Now, what do you want? I ain't got time for this. I have to go pick up Sookie."

"I won't keep you then. I was just wondering why my little princess of darkness is wearing white." He purred and pushed my hair out of my face like he did last night. This time, I was able to suppress the shiver I wanted to let out.

"I had to go to church." I said and pushed his hand away. He cocked an eyebrow and I rolled my eyes. "I promised my Gran, okay? When I make a promise to a loved one, I never back down. I didn't even realize that also included the fact that my sister was gonna play dress up." I mumbled the last part and turned to put my keys in my car door to open it. I then paused and turned to look at him with narrowed eyes and he smiled innocently. "Did you just call me your little princess of darkness?" I whispered slowly and he chuckled, opening my door for me.

"Well, yes. Yes, I did." He said in a seductive tone as I slid into my car and he shut my door. He knelt down and crossed his arms on the window seal. I had left my window rolled down earlier because the people around here know better than to mess with my Impala. "Nice car, by the way."

"Didn't think you were into the classics." I mumbled and pushed the keys into the ignition. The engine purred to life and I smiled. I patted the steering wheel and turned down the music that blasted through the speakers and turned to look at him. "You need anything else, or can I go, question boy?"

"No, I'm good, but I do not want you to go." He sighed as he stood straight again. "Good night, Trudy."

"See ya'." I said carelessly as I turned the music up again and turned to back out. I glanced where he was standing to see he was gone. I just shrugged and backed out and pulled out onto the road. I switched out my CDs when I reached a stop sign so I had my mix CD in. I flipped through the songs, biting my tongue, until I got to 'Not Good Enough for Truth and Cliche by Escape the Fate. I grinned and turned it up before speeding off down the road.

"Hurtful words." I sang along with the grin on my face as I tapped my fingers against the steering wheel and relaxed in my seat. "To my enemies of the last five years, what's it like to die alone? How does it feel when tears freeze when you cry? The blood in your veins is twenty below. Sitting in this room playing Russian Roulette. Finger on the trigger to my dear Juliet. Out from the window see her backdrop silhouette. This blood on my hands is something I cannot forget!" I parked by the curb when I saw Sookie on the sidewalk and waited for her to climb into the car. I turned the volume down as she sighed and looked forward. "You okay?"

"Yeah, can we change the song, though?" She asked, looking at me pleadingly. I nodded and flipped through the songs until we came upon 'Addicted' by Saving Abel. I looked towards her to see if it was okay and she smiled, leaning back in her seat. I chuckled and turned it up. She and I both knew this song and we always sang it together when either of us was angry or sad.

I pulled onto the road as the chorus started and we both sang along. "I'm so addicted to all the things you do when you're down on me in between the sheets. Or the sound you make with every breath you take. It's not like anything when you're loving me. Oh, girl let's take it slow. So as for you, well, you know where to go. I want to take my love and hate ya' 'till the end. It's not like you to turn away from all the bullshit I can't take. It's not like me to walk away." We continued on to finish the song when we reached the house. We were giggling lightly because the song had ended about a minute earlier and we stayed in the car to listen to 'On to the Next One' by Escape the Fate. Sookie had attempted and failed epically to sing it, while I sang it perfectly.

"Wow, you suck." I commented as we stepped onto the back porch that lead to the back door into the kitchen door and slipped off our shoes.

She chuckled and hit me lightly in the arm. "Shut up. Gran's probably asleep." She whispered and I smiled and nodded. I opened the door and we walked in. I slipped on something gooey beneath my feet and fell forward. I caught myself with my hands and whatever was on the floor got all on my legs, knees, and hands.

"What the fuck?" I asked aloud and tried to see in the dark. I heard Tina, our cat, meowing.

Sookie flipped on the lights and I looked down and I swear my heart stopped. The gooey stuff on the floor and my body is a pool of blood. I followed the blood to my Gran's body.

* * *

**Ooh... my first cliffhanger! He he he...well, not really if you watch the show ^.^ Anyways, tell me what ya' think in a review, please. I wasn't too sure about the whole 'Eric comes to visit Trudy' thing, but it worked out to be okay, I guess. At least in this chapter, you get to see a bit more about Trudy, with her religion and all. And, no, she isn't gonna be as weird as Amy was when she was in the show, but if you guys have any suggestions on how to make her a better character, I'm all ears.**

**Oh, and if you guys can help me out with who Trudy should end up with, I'd be very thankful. So far, it's either Eric, Sam, or Alcide, but Alcide ain't comin' in for a while, so...we'll cross that bridge when we come to it!**

**Review please**


	3. Chapter 3 Cold Ground

Chapter 3 Cold ground

**Disclaimer: I do not own True Blood or anything associated with it. I only own Trudy and the characters I made up to better the story.**

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I swallowed the lump in my throat and watched as Tina lapped up some of the blood drops on the floor. I was standing, barefooted in the middle of Gran's blood, beside her head. Sookie gasped and fell to her knees at Gran's feet. I just stared in shock and horror as I looked at the once beautiful woman I had loved my whole life. I couldn't believe she was gone. I couldn't see or hear anything going on around me, but I felt Bill's presence. I soon felt Sam's presence and warm arms wrap around me. I knew it was Sam because the arms were strong and warm, which left out both Bill and Sookie. I turned and buried my face in his chest, sobbing.

"Shh, Trudy, I'm here." He assured me as I let the tears fall. I felt myself moving and realized I was being led into the dining room. Sam set me down in a chair at the table and knelt down in front of me. "We're gonna find out who did this, I promise." He said confidently as he wiped the tears away from my cheeks. I just stared at him blankly with broken eyes.

* * *

A little later, Sookie was sitting next to me, just as shocked. Sam had gone to get blankets for us. When he came back, he wrapped it tightly around my shoulders and I clutched at it. I felt cold all over and I don't think I can handle talking to anyone about this. I ignored everything going on around me and just stared at the pattern in the table. I eventually stood and left Sookie and Sam and went to sit on the porch. I still had blood on my feet and a few drops on the hem of my dress, but I was too numb to notice or care really at the moment. I sat down on a step and noticed that the blood splattered all the way up to my knees and started to tear up again. I dropped my head into my hands and sobbed quietly. Sookie came out and wrapped an arm around my shoulders and I hugged her bag as I cried. I peeked up at her to see her staring off into space. I guess it hasn't fully hit her yet. I ignored Sam when he sat down on Sookie's other side. It was like I was underwater and I couldn t hear or see anything clearly.

I felt Sam's presence leave and after a while, Bill's came out and Sookie lifted me into a standing position. I was so numb that I couldn't stand straight on my own. I felt warm arms wrap around me and I felt the officers that had showed up moving out of the house. They were taking Gran's body. I sobbed again and closed my eyes. Sam must've passed me over to Bill. I was able to hear dimly what he said.

"I'm goin' to take you to your room, okay, Tru?" He asked and I nodded weakly. He picked me up bridle style and ran me up the stairs and into my room. He carefully set me down on the bed and kissed my forehead softly. "I have to go home, now, but I will come back later to check up on you and Sookie. Get some rest and we'll figure out who did this to your grandmother tomorrow, Trudy. I promise." He then stood and made to leave but I grabbed his jacket sleeve and he looked back at me.

"Do me a favor?" I whispered and he nodded. "Tell Eric Northman to stay away from me for a while."

"He's been seein' you?" Bill asked, alarmed and I nodded, turning on my side.

"I don't wanna talk about it right now. Maybe tomorrow, but not tonight." I said.

"Alright, but you will tell me." He demanded more than asked and I nodded numbly and tiredly. "I will see you tomorrow."

"Bye..." I whispered and heard a whoosh of air and my door closing, telling me he was gone.

I whimpered and tears fell down my cheeks as I curled up into a fetal position on my side. The blanket was now covering me, so I pulled it up to my shoulders and cried myself to sleep.

* * *

When I woke up again, Sookie was sitting next to me, dressed in a white lacey shirt and a baby blue skirt. I watched her silently, which she did in turn.

"People are gonna be comin' soon to give their condolences. You need to get up and get dressed." Sookie whispered as she rubbed my back. I was lying with my stomach on the mattress and my head was turned in her direction, but still rested on my pillow. "I know you want nothing more than to just lie in bed all day because so do I, but Tara and Lafayette are here and they're both determined to get us up and moving around. Lafayette said he'll come up later to help you get dressed and do your hair after you get out of the shower."

I nodded slowly and she kissed my temple before she stood and walked out of my room. I sighed and stood. I slowly grabbed my purple bath robe. I slowly walked into the bathroom across the hall from the bathroom and closed the door behind me. I sighed and closed my eyes as I placed my robe down on the sink. I opened my eyes and walked over to the shower and turned up the heat on the water. I ran a brush through my hair before I stripped off my dress from last night and slid into the shower, closing off the curtain behind me. I stared straight ahead as the water poured down on me and instantly warmed me from my frozen state. I heard a knock on the door before it opened.

"Tru?" A voice called and I recognized it as Lafayette. I smoothed my hair away from my face and poked my head out around the curtain as he came into the bathroom and closed the door behind him. "You doin' okay, honey child?" He asked and I gave the ghost of a smile. He's always called me that; he thought of me as his younger sister and treated me as such. "Sookie says you haven't talked to anyone except Bill since last night." He stated as he opened up a window and sat down on the toilet seat, lookin' at me expectantly. "Come on, Trudy, talk to me. This is Lafayette that be talkin' to you." I sighed and went back into the shower.

"I know Lafayette, but I feel broken without Gran around anymore. She always brought such cheer into the gloom of the world around me and I miss her." I said hoarsely as I watched the blood that had been on me flowed down the drain with the water. I watched as the dark red changed from normal red, to light pink, to a faint pink, and finally blank. "And I know that Sookie's just puttin up a brave face for me cause I'm younger, but I just know she wants to cry as much as I have been. Lafayette, I cried myself to sleep last night. I never cry." The tears started to roll down my cheeks, but I ran my hand through my hair and grabbed my favorite shampoo that always reminded me of Gran. It smelt like a mixture between watermelon and grapes.

"Honey child, no one suspects you to not cry." Lafayette assured me as I rubbed the shampoo into my hair until I felt bubbles forming. I then stuck my head under the water and looked up at the water nozzle. "In fact, we're doin' this little gatherin' because people expect to see you cry more than any other of the Stackhouse siblin's." I chuckled grimly at this.

"So people want to see me in pain? All the more reason to stay in bed." I retorted icily and grabbed my favorite coconut body wash and sat on the floor of the shower with my razor. I rubbed some of the body wash onto my legs and arm pits to shave as Lafayette replied.

"Yeah, well, ya gotta expect this. Bon Temps ain't exactly a very subtle town and everybody knows everythin' 'bout everybody." He pointed out and I sighed. I stood and let the water run over me for a minute until I turned the water off. Lafayette stood and handed me my bath robe. I smiled and put it on, still in the shower, as he waited patiently on the other side of the curtain. I tied the sash around my waist and opened the curtain. Lafayette turned from the window that he had been looking out of and softened when he saw me. "Oh, honey child, come here." He mumbled as he opened his arms to me. My bottom lip trembled and I walked into his warm comforting arms. I cried silent tears as he hugged me and ran his hands through my sopping wet tangled hair. "I am so sorry for your loss..."

"You know why I never believed in God or Christianity?" I asked quietly and pulled back a little to look up at him. "God's never done anything for me. He killed the sweetest people I know and love; he killed my momma, my daddy, and now my Gran. If there was a God, he wouldn't have created murderers, killed so many people, or made it possible for anybody to kill someone as sweet and kind as Gran."

"I know what you mean, honey child..." He mumbled and pressed a soft kiss to the top of my head. "Now, come on. Let's go get you dressed and I'll fix your hair up all sexy like you like it." He attempted the humor and I smiled weakly. He let me out of the hug, but kept one arm around my shoulders as he opened the door and led me into my room, closing the door behind us. He then silently sat me down in my vanity stool and went to work on my hair. He grabbed a towel from a nearby hook on the wall and used it to gently dry my hair. I just stared at my reflection. I looked horrible. I had bags under my eyes and looked like I had aged ten years. I no longer had any form of life in my face and my eyes looked icy and dead. They were glazed over with grief and sorrow.

Lafayette said nothing and soon started to blow dry my hair. I winced slightly at the heat of the blow dryer, but other than that kept completely still; of course, I breathed and blinked a few times, though. When my hair was completely dried and fell around me in an untamed fashion, Lafayette smiled at me in the reflection of the mirror. He had always loved my hair and dressing me up when we had to go to a big event or just going out for some fun. His favorite part of dressing me up was my hair. He had always said my hair was a reflection of me. It was untamable at first, but after you run a brush (or a few truly sincere words and a whole ass load of respect) through it and it s easy to get along with.

I watched as probably my best friend in this whole wide world picked up a brush and ran it through my hair with care. He always took such care when he was dealing with me in any sort. He said it was because I looked so fragile, even though he knew I was anything but. He was well acquainted with my telekinesis powers. I remember once when I had been cheated on by a long term boyfriend back in high school and he had placed a hand on my shoulder. I was so upset that I had accidently sent him across the room and crashing into a wall. Now, after he regained consciousness, I apologized repeatedly and explained my powers to him. He understood, promised to never tell anybody, and accepted my apologies.

When Lafayette was done with my hair, he turned me around and got to work on my makeup. He seemed frustrated when he finished and I turned to see that I still looked sorrowful and dead, but my face looked like it had before Gran s death. The bags under my eyes had disappeared with some coverage and I felt a little better to see that I didn t look ten years older anymore. Gran had always loved my young and childish face and never wanted it to change.

As I thought on all this, Lafayette had grabbed some clothes. I noticed that it was a pair of comfortable baggy blue jeans and a purple short sleeve shirt that had a strange darker purple design on it. He left the room for me to change in peace and I stood. I pulled a black bra from my drawer, along with the underwear to match and let my robe fall from my shoulders. I slipped on my underwear and clipped my bra into place before I shimmied my way into my pants and pulled the shirt over my head, careful of my makeup and hair. Lafayette would have my ass if I messed up either. I looked at myself in my full length mirror and sighed. I just couldn t seem to find any happiness anymore. I sat back down on my vanity stool as Lafayette walked back in and handed me my Converse and went to get me some socks.

"Come on, honey child." He pleaded as he knelt down in front of me as I slid my socks on and he untied the shoelaces on my shoes before he slid them onto my foot. "Sookie's lookin' for you. She hasn't been able to get a hold of Jason and she needs at least one family member by her side today." I nodded numbly and he helped me to stand.

I was getting that numb feeling again as Lafayette led me down the stairs and people immediately started to say sorry and things like 'sorry for your loss' or something along those lines. It didn't mean anything to me. None of these apologies were gonna bring Gran back, so what's the point?

"Oh, you poor child." Mrs. Fortenberry said as she approached me, wearing bright pink. I frowned and narrowed my eyes as she looked at me in pity. "I am so sorry for your loss. Adele was a great-" Before she could finish and I could knock her teeth out, Lafayette pulled me away with a scowl towards Hoyt's mother. He led me into the kitchen and tried to calm me down by humming 'Not Good Enough for Truth and Cliche' in my ear. He knew it was my favorite song and it always calmed me down when I was in a pissy mood.

"Yeah, cause nothing says I'm sorry like a tuna cheese casserole." Tara said sarcastically as she joined me and Lafayette.

"_Another _one?" Lafayette asked as I sat down in a chair and he started to rub my tense shoulders. He looked around. "I ain't seen Jason. Is he here yet?" I looked up at this question.

"How the hell should I know?" Tara retorted as she dipped down to give me a quick hug. "I ain't his keeper." She then walked off to the other side of the kitchen, towards the fridge.

"Bitch." Lafayette mumbled and I cracked a small smile.

Sookie walked in and immediately came to me, taking over for Lafayette and knelt down in front of me to give me a gentle hug. "Oh, sweetie, thank you for comin' down here to help out." I just nodded numbly as I stared at where Gran's body had been. There wasn t any blood, but I could still see it. Sookie must've cleaned it up when Bill had ordered me to go to sleep.

"Trudy, do you want anything?" Sookie asked, trying to get me to look at her. I just continued to frown and stare at the floor. "I could get you some hot tea or some coffee if you're feeling sick." She offered and I looked back up at her.

"Tea, please?" I asked in a quiet tone and she looked like she was just about to burst into tears. I felt what she was feeling. She felt guilty, angry, and sad all rolled into one; it was easy to determine where she focused these feelings on. She felt guilty because she couldn't protect me from seeing Gran like that. She was angry at whoever had done this to such a sweet woman. She was sad that she couldn't do anything to help me be myself again and Gran was dead. She didn't know what to do.

She nodded, her bottom lip trembling slightly, and stood to go to make the tea. I stood to straighten out my shirt when I was suddenly hugged by a familiar redhead.

"Oh, Trudy, I just can't believe it." Arlene said quietly with tears running down her cheeks as she held me at arm's length and I looked at her blankly. "Are you alright?"

_"Do I look okay to you?"_ I thought spitefully and growled mentally before I answered. "I'm fine, Arlene. Thanks for comin' for me and Sookie."

"Of course, honey. It's the least I could do. Oh, you poor thing." She said in her motherly tone that she used on Coby and Lisa as she brushed some of my hair out of my face. "I can't imagine what you're goin' through." She chuckled shyly and I just stared at her incredulously. She instantly became serious again. "Now, if you and Sookie need help with moving or anything at all-"

Sookie cut her off as she came back to us and she handed me a black mug. I sat down at the table and started to bob the tea bag in and out of the water, like I had done only two nights ago.

"Uh, we're...are we movin'?" I asked, curiously and confusedly.

"We aren't movin', sweetie." Sookie assured me as she set the jar of sugar down in front of me, along with a spoon.

I looked up at Arlene, who looked disgusted. "But, honey, with it happenin'...right here." She said it like it was obvious and I scowled, slamming my fist down on the table.

"Arlene, we've had way more happy and good memories in this kitchen than we've had bad." I snapped and she smiled nervously as the room started to shake slightly. My powers were connected to my emotions and if I get too emotional over something, I can't control them.

Arlene knew that when I get mad that she should run. The last time I got mad at her when she had accidently said I was getting fat when we were younger, I had cut her hair off on one side of her head and she had to cut the other side off to match.

"Oh, what a good way to look at it. You know, you really are smarter than anyone gives you two credit for." Arlene said and I raised an eyebrow with my mouth agape. She did not just say that shit to me, did she? "Oh, sweetie, I didn't mean it like that!" We all paused as we heard the fridge door open and we turned to see Mrs. Fortenberry with Gran's last pie in her hands. She was peeling the clear see through wrapping from the top and Sookie and I both stood at attention.

"Maxine Fortenberry, you put that pie down right now!" Sookie yelled and she jumped, looking up at her in surprise. I growled as Sookie stormed over to Mrs. Fortenberry and snatched the pie away from her. A few people poked their heads into kitchen from the dining hall and I glanced at them as I poured some sugar into my mug and dropped the spoon into it with a loud clang. "This is Gran's pie!"

"Well, I'm sorry. I was just makin' some room..." Mrs. Fortenberry mumbled and Sookie started reading minds by the look of her face. Eventually, Tara came to Sookie and started to lead her out of the kitchen as Lafayette came to calm me down. I was just about ready to get the rifle gun we kept down and shoot Hoyt's mother right between the eyes.

"Calm down, Tru." He pleaded as he picked up my tea and started to stir it for me before he pulled something from his pocket and waved it in my face. My eyes widened when I saw it was chocolate. He held the cup out to me and started to lead me towards the stairs.

"Come on, Lafayette!" Tara called from the stairs and Lafayette wrapped an arm around my shoulders as he led me up the stairs. When he reached the top, he led me down the hall to Sookie's room and we walked in. I sat down beside Sookie and leaned against the headboard of her bed, cradling the hot tea to my chest. Lafayette handed me the chocolate as he lay down beside me on the bed and Tara sat in front of Sookie.

"I shouldn't have lost it like that." Sookie mumbled while I just stared straight and sipped at my tea.

"Don't feel sorry for yelling at that snoopy old bitch. She's been stickin' her nose where it don't belong for years." Tara said.

"Say it. I mean, if she talked any more shit, she'd be shaped like a toilet." Lafayette joked, hoping to get us to laugh. Tara and Lafayette laughed, but we just stared ahead with no emotion. "I'm sorry."

"Gran's gone." Sookie said like she just realized it. "She's really gone."

"Yeah, she is." Tara mumbled as she looked down.

"I don't know what I'm supposed to do. Can't even think straight." Sookie said sorrowfully and I felt guilty. I wasn't really helping out all that much either. I wasn't even trying to comfort her about this. I was just dead inside. I might as well be a vampire. I feel and look like the walking dead.

"Of course you can t!" Tara exclaimed. "How can you, with all these circling buzzards?"

"Mm, hmm." Lafayette hummed in agreement.

"You know you're not their entertainment. You don t have to dance for 'em. You just gotta feel whatever you're feelin'."

"All I feel right now is numb." I whispered, but they all still heard.

"Numb is good." Tara said.

"Yeah." Lafayette agreed.

"Numb is probably what you need right now. And stop worryin' about being so damn appropriate, Sookie. This is not an appropriate event."

"Thank you for getting us out of there. Haven't had a single minute of silence. Can't seem to block anything out right now." Sookie thanked.

"You want me to tell 'em all to shut the hell up?" Tara asked seriously.

"If only it were that easy." I scoffed.

"It is." Lafayette assured as he dug through one of his pants pockets. "Your wish..." He pulled out a plastic bag full of pills and I blinked. "...is my command."

"Oh, no, we don't do drugs." Sookie said quickly and I sipped some more of my tea.

"Sook. Relax! This is not drugs. This is just a Valium." He assured as he took out two pills that looked the same and held them up for us to see. We just stared. "Well, I tell you what: put it on your nightstands..." He said as we both took one of the pills. "...just in case you change your mind. I'm gonna go and check on the circlin' buzzards." With that, he stood and turned to leave. Sookie picked up Gran's pie from the middle of the bed.

"Lafayette?" She called and he turned back.

"Yes, ma'am."

I took the pie from Sookie and held it with love as I held it up for him. "Could you take this back downstairs carefully?" I whispered and he took it carefully, just as I had asked.

"I will guard it with my life, honey child." He promised before he turned and left.

* * *

After a while, Sookie, Tara, and I all decided to lie down while we talked. Sookie and Tara were on the stomachs and I was lying on my back, looking up at the ceiling between them. Tara had her arms crossed under her head and Sookie had a pillow. I don't remember who, but someone had put on some soothing music for the background.

"Do you want me to call anyone?" Tara asked, looking between us. "Your cousin Hadley?"

"No one's heard from her in about a year; she ran away from the rehab Gran paid for her for. We don't know where she is or how to get a hold of her." I answered dully as I nibbled on the chocolate bar Lafayette had given me. He always gave me chocolate when I was sad; it's my comfort food.

"What about Bill? You wanna invite him?" Tara asked Sookie, who was now sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Tara, he can't go." Sookie stated. Oh, we're currently talking about the upcoming funeral. We were trying to figure out who we should and shouldn't invite.

"Oh, right." Tara said, like she just remembered. The funeral's during the day.

"It's not like you've known a lot of vampires." Sookie mumbled. "It kinda takes gettin' used to."

"I'm not sure I'll ever get used to it." She admitted and I turned to look at her with Sookie with the chocolate bar in my mouth still. I probably looked extremely like a child. "What? Not everyone is as open-minded as you two. Shoot me. You should hear the things people are sayin'."

"I do. Sookie said with a louder voice than before and Tara and I looked at her wide-eyed. "Bill did not kill our grandmother!"

"Don't get all mad at me. Nobody's blamin' Bill...exactly. But didn't you tell me he had scary-ass friends?"

"Yeah, Eric and Pam are scary." I nodded but Sookie scowled at me.

"Not all the vampires are like that and you know that, Trudy. That's just Eric and Pam."

"I'd fuckin' lose it if anything happened to you two. You know that, right?" Tara asked us and I nodded, going back to staring at the ceiling as I bit off a chunk of chocolate with a satisfying clicking sound.

"Tara, last night was so horrible. I don't know how I would've gotten through it if it weren't for Bill. I don't know how to explain it, but-" I cut her off.

"You probably would've handled it the same way I had and gone into a comatose state." I stated before the door to Sookie's door was thrown open and I jumped up in surprise and in a fighting position. Oh, I had also taken about ten years of Taekwondo, karate, and free style boxing. I relaxed my position when I saw that it was Jason as Sookie stood.

"Jason-" Whatever she was about to say was cut off when he slapped her hard across the face and my eyes widened as Tara ran to stop any further of this. Jason then turned on me and stalked towards me. I shrunk back in fear and let out a whimper before Tara got a hold on him and pushed him away from me.

"What the fuck?" She yelled.

"It's both your fault!" Jason yelled as he pointed at us both. "Gran is dead cause o' you!" Sookie sat up from where she had landed on the bed and cradled her cheek in her hand. "It should have been you two!" He yelled and lunged at me again, but Tara grabbed him. I started to tear up in fear as I back up into a wall and slid down it to a sitting position on the floor.

"Don't you lay your hands on her!" Tara yelled and he looked back at Sookie.

"She's fuckin' a vampire, Tara, and she's friends with him." He said as he motioned towards me and walked over to the bed. "A fucking vampire!" He shouted as he turned towards me again. I flinched but Tara got between us again.

"Yeah, and that vampire was here for them when you weren't! You oughta be ashamed of yourself! Is that how your grandmother raised you? To beat on your sister and scare the shit out of the other one? Look at you! I don't even recognize you anymore! Get the hell out of here!" She pushed him away and I started shaking as I moved onto the bed and Sookie wrapped her arms around me. "Get out! Get out!" She pushed him out of the room and closed the door behind him. She then came over to us as we both began to cry and sob. "You two okay?" She asked as she sat down and looked at Sookie's cheek. We both looked at each other before Sookie reached to her nightstand and picked up the Valium pills and handed me one. We both swallowed them dry.

"I'm goin' to my room, guys. Wake me when there's a point to it." I muttered as I stood and hugged them both as the tears continued to pour. I walked out of Sookie's room and down the hall. I went into my room and closed the door behind me. I instantly pulled my jeans and shirt off. I reached into my pajama drawer and pulled out a baggy black button up shirt that I had stolen from an old boyfriend on a whim. I slid my arms into the sleeves after I took my bra off and kicked the clothes away. I buttoned the shirt up but kept the last two buttons undone. I then closed my curtains that led to the balcony and was about to crawl into bed when I noticed that there was blood on the sheets where I had tossed and turned in my sleep. I sighed tiredly and stripped my bed of its sheets and threw them in my dirty clothes basket. I walked into my closet and pulled down some extra blankets and sheets and put those on my bed before I climbed into my bed and cuddled into the warm comforter. I still felt extremely cold and dead. I stared at the wall in the dark. I was then glad that my curtains were a dark red because it kept my room dark when I wanted it to be.

I felt the Valium kick in as my muscles relaxed and my eyes felt heavier. I yawned and pulled my blankets up to my shoulders as I slowly drifted off to a peaceful dreamless sleep.

* * *

I woke up to a loud tapping at my window that led to my balcony. I groaned, already knowing who it was, but stood none the less. I guess Bill hadn't had time to tell Eric to back off for a few days. I walked to my window as I scratched the back of my head and I was amazed that my hair was still perfect. I moved a curtain aside slightly to see the tall blonde, looking like he usually did; dressed in all black and looking bored until he caught sight of me and smirked. I let the curtain go and sighed, taking a deep breath before I opened the door.

"Why, Trudy, I had no idea you wore such scandalous things to bed." He commented with a broader smirk as he looked me up and down and I blinked, staring at him blankly. He seemed confused at my lack of reply. "What, no witty retort or a 'get the hell away'?" He asked with a raised eyebrow and I felt the tears that the Valium had stopped starting to come back. His eyebrows furrowed as I stepped out onto the balcony and let the tears fall. "What's wrong, Trudy? What happened?"

"Why do you care?" I whispered sadly as my tears fell. "It doesn't matter to you, anyway."

"Please, just tell me." He begged and I sobbed.

"My Gran was murdered last night." I informed him and his eyes widened a fraction. "Her funeral's in a few days, my sister's worried I'll go into a depressive state and I'd go so far as to cut myself, and my brother wants to kill us both."

He seemed to hesitate for a second before he held his arms up with a sincerely sorrowful look on his face. I also hesitated for a second before I walked into his arms with my own arms cradled to my chest in agony as I sobbed more. He wrapped his arms around me and led me to sit down on the couch. He sat down beside me and kept his arms around me as I cried into his black tee-shirt. He didn't say anything and just ran his hand though my hair and rubbed comforting circles in my back. After a while I had calmed down and I looked up at him. He was looking down at me, too, and he wiped away a stray tear with the pad of his thumb.

"What, you're not going to say 'I'm sorry' and hand over a tuna cheese casserole?" I whispered hoarsely and he frowned.

"Why would I give you a tuna cheese casserole? Now, I haven't eaten food in over a thousand years, but that doesn't sound all that appetizing. And I won't say sorry."

"Why? Everyone else has today." I frowned in confusion.

"Because I know it won't change anything. She's gone and apologizing isn't going to bring her back." He shook his head as I laid my cheek against his chest again and sniffled. "I've learned from experience over the years."

"I just don't know what to do. It's always been so easy for me and lately, it's been nothin' but trouble. I've got vampires popping up on my balcony at all hours of the night, my sister's dating a vampire, and my brother looked like he was about to kill me this afternoon." I mumbled and I swear I heard a low growl coming from his chest. I just shook off even that possibility when he responded.

"I'd tell you to continue with your life like you had been, but that didn't work, did it? I was talking to Bill early and he had talked to your friend, Tara, and told me that you've been in a comatose state all day. Is that correct?" He asked and I nodded, still sniffling. "You feel numb and have no idea what you should do. The walls feel like they're closing in on you. You're always cold and your friends and family look at you like you're about to do something crazy, am I right?"

I slowly looked up at him with wide eyes. "That's exactly right. How'd you know that?"

He smiled with no humor. "I felt the exact same way when my family died in front of me." I was about to ask about his family when I yawned and he helped me to stand. "You should go back to bed." He led me back to the doors and kissed my forehead, lingering for a moment and I heard him inhale my scent. "Good night, Trudy."

"'Night, Eric. I replied tiredly and formally before I turned and walked into my room. I closed the door behind me and crawled back into bed, falling asleep immediately.

* * *

At Gran's service, I was sitting between Tara and Lafayette. My hair was down and around my face and I wore a black sundress and my black leather jacket with my Converse. My tears were falling freely and Lafayette held my hand reassuringly. On Tara's other side sat Sookie who sat next to Jason. I was still too scared to sit anywhere near him and chose to stay away. Someone was singing the hymn 'Softly and Tenderly'. There was scattered sobbing while some people were just motionless and looked dead. The woman singing soon stopped and the minister stepped up to the podium.

"Lord, we gather here today to remember the life of Adele Stackhouse. To celebrate the time that she enjoyed here on earth." The minister started and I heard the sound of wheels turning. I turned my head, the same time Sookie did, and gasped at who I saw, tightening my grip on Lafayette s hand. He winced in pain and looked to see what was wrong. He instantly frowned and glared at the man in the wheelchair. "And to thank you for each precious moment, the family, the friends, the community. But even as we grieve, we shall be comforted, knowing that she is in peace now in Lord's Kingdom. And there shall not be more death..." He continued on, but I stopped listening.

I watched as Jason greeted Uncle Bartlett with a pat on the knee in absolute horror.

"Uncle Bartlett, what are you doing here?" Sookie asked sternly, but the old man just nodded.

"She was my sister." He replied and I glared.

"You sure didn't act like it." I spat.

"Tru, come on. Give the guy a break." Jason pleaded and I looked at him with my most powerful death glare, along with Sookie.

"Sookie Stackhouse has prepared a few words." The minister said but we kept glaring at our brother. "Honey?" I snapped out of it and elbowed Sookie in the ribs. She looked at me and I motioned for her to go up to the podium. She looked up. "You wanted to say a few words?" She nodded, grabbed her purse, and stood to walk up there.

"Sookie, you okay?" Tara asked quietly, but Sookie just walked past Jason, Sam, and Uncle Bartlett to the podium. Our uncle was parked beside Sam, who was seated behind Jason. I watched as Sookie stood behind the podium and rummaged through her bag.

"Ah, Tru?" Lafayette whispered in pain and I looked over at him questioningly. "Hand. Cutting off circulation, here." He murmured and I instantly loosened my grip on his hand. "You okay?" I know he's a bastard, but you okay?" I nodded wordlessly as a lie and looked forward again as Sookie started to speak.

"I will be speaking for both my sister and me. Adele Stackhouse was everything to me and Trudy. She wasn't just our grandmother. She was our parent, our teacher, and our best friend." She paused and got that faraway look in her eyes. I frowned. "To say she'll be missed...just didn't cut it, 'cause...I can't even imagine a world without her in. She was always there, with a kind word, and a hot meal, and a shoulder to cry on. Not just for me, but...for everyone who knew her." She paused for a long time and I furrowed my eyebrows as I caught waves of fury and anger coming off of her. "Shut up! All of you just shut the fuck up!" She suddenly yelled before she grabbed her bag and ran off. I quickly stood and ran after her. I heard Jason stand and follow after us, which only made me run faster.

"Sookie! Trudy!" Jason yelled as we ran through the cemetery. "Sookie, Trudy, just hold on a sec!" He yelled and Sookie stopped running. I ran right into the arms that she held up for me and hugged her as Jason caught up with us.

"Why? So you can hit me again and scare the shit out of your little sister?" Sookie asked angrily. "Go ahead; tell me it's all our fault. Tell us how you wish it were us in that coffin. We deserve it."

"I'm sorry." He apologized as he walked towards us with his arms up. "I'm so sorry."

"Don't touch us!" Sookie yelled, moving us away from him and pushing me behind her.

"Now I didn't mean to hurt you or scare Tru. You gotta know that."

"You invited Uncle Bartlett!" I yelled, stepping out to stand beside Sookie. "How could you do that after everything he did?"

"He has a right to be here! Look, I know he and Gran had their problems, but whatever they were, it don't matter no more. 'Cause that's what family does. We forgive each other."

"You have no idea of what you're talking about!" Sookie snapped back.

"Sookie, please? I mean, we're all we've got." Jason pleaded.

"We've got nothin'." Sookie glared as I turned and ran again. We somehow ended up stopping at Bill's grave and I gave Sookie a moment of silence with his grave and started to slowly walk back to the funeral. My arms were crossed over my chest, my head was bent to look at the ground, and I was moving sluggishly.

"Trudy?" A voice whispered and I looked up to see Lafayette standing there. "You okay?"

"You know everyone's been asking me that lately and I always answer with the same thing even though I feel absolutely horrible." I replied as we started to walk at a normal pace. I don't know if and when I'll be okay, Lafayette."

"It'll all work out in the end, honey child." He assured me as he wrapped an arm around me and hugged me to his side. "You wait and see; it'll be a'ight."

"You know, I hope you're right, Lafayette." I responded with a ghost of a smile.

* * *

When Sookie caught up with us, Lafayette left to check on Tara and we watched silently as Gran's casket was lowered into the ground. I stared blankly and ignored everything going on around me until Sookie gently took my hand. I looked up to see she was arm and arm with Sam and he was nodding his head in the direction of our house. I nodded and looked back at the grave one more time before I let Sookie lead me away, who was being led away by Sam. I stared at the ground emotionlessly until we reached the house. I stepped up and waited as Sookie dug through her bag for the keys.

"Listen, how 'bout you two take a bath and I find us some stupid movie on TV?" Sam offered. "Somethin' with aliens." He added, knowing how much watching a good hokey alien movie made me feel better sometimes. We just stared at him and he looked between us. "Romantic comedy, then?" He joked and I sighed.

"Sam, now's not really a good time." I whispered. "I think we just need to be alone for a while." He looked down and nodded as Sookie opened the door and we turned to look at him.

"Thanks." Sookie said before we walked inside and closed the door behind us. I sat down at the table and Sookie went to the fridge. She pulled out the pecan pie Gran made and grabbed two forks from the drawer. She then came and sat beside me. I silently removed the plastic wrap from the pie and picked up a fork. We both silently ate the already half eaten pie. About three bites into it, we both started to sob and eventually broke out into tears, but we were both determined to finish the pie. When we finished the pie, I walked upstairs and slunk into my room.

I changed into a loose V-neck black shirt and a pair of black running pants. My feet were bare as I sat outside on my couch on my balcony. I sipped at some hot chocolate that Sookie had made for me. I know she tried to make it exactly the way Gran had, but it wasn't quite right. I watched quietly as the sun slowly set. I sighed and closed my eyes. I knew that Eric would be here to check on me soon enough. He's kinda made a habit of it and I was getting used to it, even if I didn't want to see him. Like last night, I didn't want to see him, but he helped me. I was hoping he could do that, too, tonight.

I opened my eyes and looked at the sky to see the sun had already set. I settled back and rested my legs on the couch as I laid my head on the arm of the couch. I felt the warm breeze ruffle my hair and smiled slightly as I sipped at the cocoa. I waited for about five minutes until I felt a cold hand caressing my cheek. Opening my eyes, I looked to my left to see Eric kneeling down beside the couch.

"Hello." He greeted and I smiled weakly. He frowned and stood straight. He came to sit down on the couch and let me rest my feet on his lap. "How'd it go?" He asked quietly and I sighed, lying down again.

"My brother tried to apologize, but he invited the man I hate the most in the world to Gran's funeral." I informed him as he started to play with the hem of my pajama pants and I stared at the starry sky.

"I thought you hated me the most." He said in thought as he raised an eyebrow in my direction. I smirked and closed my eyes.

"I hate this man more than you." I replied.

"What did he do to make you hate him so much...?" I sighed and told him all about what had happened.

* * *

**Okay, I'm not gonna put in the whole 'Uncle Bartlett's a child fantasizing rapist' or whatever the hell he is because I thought it would complicate things too much. Plus, Sookie's Trudy's older sister and wanted to protect her at that time since Trudy is four years younger than her. Also, Trudy was most likely a toddler back then. I hope Eric's not bein' to OOC and if he is, please inform me of it. I don't want to to be like one those stories where the girl changes the guy's whole way of dealing with things. I always found that to be a horrible way to write a story and I hope that I'm not doing that. Tell me if I am, though, so I can fix it in the next few chapters.**

**Anyways, Review Please?**


	4. Chapter 4 Burning House of Love

Chapter 4 Burning house of love

**Disclaimer: I have no ownership of True Blood in any sense... No matter how much I wish I did. If I did own True Blood in the slightest, there'd be more Eric, Godric wouldn't have died, Pam would find a good 'human' for herself, and Sam could actually find a girl that doesn't die within a week of him knowing her that likes him. Wow, that was a long sentence... **

**Anyways, thank you to all who are regular (and new) reviewers and I hope that I'm doin' something good with this story. I apologize for the shortness.**

I told him all about what had happened and what Sookie told me he had been thinking about us and he growled with a certain flash in his eyes.

"Did you tell anybody about this?" He asked sternly and came to stand behind the couch as I sat up.

"Ah..." I relaxed as he rubbed my shoulders gently and I instantly calmed down a bit. I felt anger and lust rolling off of him all rolled into one, but I tried to ignore it and focused on the conversation. "We told Gran. She ran him off without a second thought and told him to never come back. He's her brother." I slumped against the couch as Eric rubbed the tension from my neck and shoulders. "Haven't seen him in years until today."

"Did he ever try anything?" Eric asked slowly and I opened my eyes as I looked up at him. My head was leaning back against the couch and he was looking down at me.

"No, it was only touching. He never tried anything." I assured him and felt him relax a bit.

"Is he still in town?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Don't go anywhere near him." He ordered and I raised an eyebrow.

"Wasn't planning on it." I stated and he nodded. I closed my eyes and let him rub my troubles away. One thing was bothering me though and I couldn't help but to ask it after a few moment's silence. "So if I looked at you in the mirror, could I see you?" I asked curiously and he chuckled. I looked up to see him smiling. "What?"

"I was wondering when you were gonna ask about that." He then seemed to think about if he should tell me or not. "Vampires of the past have started most of the myth about us. Not being seen in a mirror was just a way for us to prove we aren't vampires and helped us to stay hidden."

"Holy water?" I asked, trying to keep the light conversation going.

"Just normal water." He shrugged.

"What about crosses?"

"Doesn't hurt."

"Crossing over running water?" I knew I was fishing on that one and he just raised an eyebrow at me and I smiled innocently back.

"I rather like running water." He told me, amusedly.

"And garlic?"

"It irritates us, but nothing other than that." He explained as I took a sip of my cocoa.

"Hmm... what about sleeping in coffins?"

"That isn't mandatory, but some choose to. As long as we have some form of hidden coverage, we are fine." He responded and I smirked.

"Sunlight obviously kills." I observed and he sighed.

"Yes, we cannot go into the sunlight, touch silver, nor have children." He said the last one slowly and I felt a wave of lust and regret. I was silent for a moment as I thought on that and drank more cocoa. "Are you ever going to tell me if you have abilities?" He asked suddenly and I blanked.

Eric must've noticed my frozen state and jumped over the back of the couch to sit beside me. He took my mug from me, set it on the table beside him, and pulled me so I had my head rested against his chest. He ran his hand through my hair as I sighed.

"Why do you want to know so badly? It's not all that important..." I mumbled and he hummed.

"I find you interesting and there are few things left in this world that interest me." He explained and I nodded.

"Well, I'm not so sure I should tell you. It's something I tell the people that I trust with my life. I would never trust you with my life." I said solemnly. I looked up at him and he blinked, looking straight ahead with a confused look on his face.

"I don't know if I should be hurt or flattered by that." He mumbled and I giggled to smother my laughter, but it eventually broke through. He joined in and chuckled. He then hummed. "You should go to bed."

I didn't move and neither did he.

"Yeah, I should." I sighed and slowly stood. He stared up at me for a moment before he stood gracefully and walked me over to my door. I leaned against it as I looked up at him.

"Still not gonna let me come in?" He asked and I smirked.

"Nope. Why would I let you in if I don't trust you with my life?" I asked, still smirking, which he returned.

"Because you wish for great pleasure." He said with a seductive look on his face and I rolled my eyes.

"Stop trying to glamour me, Eric." I said as I felt a tug on my brain. He shrugged.

"It was worth a shot. Anyway, I have to get back to Fangtasia." He didn't seem too happy about that, so I smirked again. I then furrowed my eyes when he held a dark purple phone out to me. I took it and realized it was my phone. I blinked and raised an eyebrow.

"When did you...?" I trailed off, but he got the point.

"When I was holding you. I took the liberty of adding my number to your phone and vice versa in case you needed to talk, but I can't come to you straight away." He explained and I nodded slowly, dropping my phone in my baggy pocket. "Good night, Trudy." He bowed his head slightly and I smiled.

"'Night, Eric." I said before he turned and was gone. I then frowned and closed the door. I was getting in too deep with Eric Northman and that just spells trouble in the near future. I needed to come up a plan to get him to leave me alone before I fall to depths of an icy cold death with him. But little did I know that Eric was thinking along similar lines as he made his way back to Fangtasia.

* * *

I woke up the next morning to a scream and ran down stairs to see Jason with a paper grocery sack and two silver candlesticks in his hands that I recognized.

"What are you doin'?" Sookie asked Jason, taking in his sweaty appearance.

"Huh? Nothin'. Nothin'." He replied and I raised an eyebrow as I crossed my arms and stepped off the last steps as Sookie tossed the nightgown I had seen her wearing before I went to bed last night. She was wearing the striped blue shirt Bill had worn to the meeting the other night for the Descendants of the Glorious Dead. My eyes widened when I saw the fang marks on her neck, which Jason also noticed. Well, looks like I m the only virgin in our family now... "Huh." Jason mused and I frowned, gently touching the mark. Sookie didn't shake me away but let me look. "You went ahead and did it, huh? My own sister. Nothin' but a damn fang-banger. Now, you saved it all these years for a fucking vampire?"

"Bill is a gentleman." Sookie retorted.

"He bit you!"

"He doesn't hit me or scare my little sister, which is more than I can say for you!"

"I tried to apologize for that, but you wouldn t let me!"

"What are you doin' with Gran's candlesticks?" I asked, trying to change the subject as I let my hand drop to my side again.

"I'm just, uh...takin' a third o' what's mine."

"Those were a wedding present from her mother, Jason." I continued disapprovingly.

"Yeah, well, I need the money."

"For what?" Sookie asked angrily. "You have a job and a house!"

"Sook, it's none of your business!"

"Uh uh! Gran might have spoiled you rotten, but I won't! This is mine and Trudy's house now! You put those things down and get out!"

He just looked between us before he moved to walk around us but Sookie tried to take the sack from him. The bag tore open and spilt onto the hardwood floor. I looked down to see more silver items and Gran's favorite pearl necklace.

"You were gonna sell her favorite necklace?" I whispered in astonishment. Jason just looked at me as he set the candlesticks down and walked out the door and left.

* * *

Later on, I was taking orders at Merlotte's. I was wearing my uniform with a pair of full black Converse high tops and I had a black and white plaid headband on my head. I watched as the Redneck Stooges walked in and Lafayette made to walk towards them until Sam stepped in front of him. I cocked an eyebrow and went to see what was going on.

"Oh, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! I'm payin' you to cook, not beat on customers." Sam said quickly.

"Then I want a fuckin' raise." Lafayette snapped, watching the Redneck Stooges. I sighed and rubbed his arm in a calming gesture.

"I'll think about it, but til then, no troubles, okay? We're getting busy." Sam pleaded as Terry walked up, carrying a bus boy tub.

"Tara called. She ain't comin' in." He told us as he walked past.

"What? Ah hell, we're already short a waitress." Sam said in a panicked voice and I sighed as Sookie and I went to the kitchen window to hang up some orders.

"Don't worry, Sam. We'll make it work." My newly deflowered sister promised Sam before he walked off.

"Well, fuck damn!" Lafayette exclaimed as he turned to Sookie. "Look at chew! All porn-a-licious. What kind of crazy mix you done and got yourself into?"

Sookie gave a broad smile. "Can't I just be in a good mood without it bein' a big deal? It's a pretty night outside and I'm glad to be enjoyin' it with my friends and family." She then grabbed an order from the window and walked away.

"Mm hmm..." Lafayette hummed, raising an eyebrow at me.

I smirked and shook my head. "Nope, I'm not in this." I stated and grabbed an order of onion rings from the window and walked off to set them down at the respectable table.

A while later, I was surprised when Sam walked up to Sookie and ripped the green scarf she had been wearing to cover her bite mark off her neck.

"Hey, you keep your hands to yourself, Sam Merlotte!" She yelled and pushed him away from her. "You have no right to touch me!"

"You're a damn fool, you know that?" He asked.

"What I do on my own time is no concern of yours or any of y'alls!" She said a bit louder as she looked around at the diners, who were watching nosily. "Yes! I had sex with Bill, and since every one of y'all's too chicken to ask except for Trudy, it was great!" I blushed and shrugged sheepishly as several eyes swiveled in my direction. "I enjoyed every second of it. And if you don't like that, you can just fire me!" She slammed her serving tray into Sam's chest and walked off. I sighed and untied my apron as Sam walked over to me and raised an eyebrow.

"What?" I asked.

"Where do you think you're goin'?" He asked as I walked around the bar and he followed me.

"Uh, I don't know if you forgot while you were invading my sister's personal life, but it's my break time." I said heatedly and he sighed.

"You've got ten minutes." He told me as he stood behind the bar. I rolled my eyes and walked to the back of the bar. I opened the door in the back and walked outside to sit on one of the lawn chairs Sam kept out here for us employees when we're on break. I leaned back in my seat with a heavy sigh as I stared at the night sky. So much for small town's bein' boring... I mean, in the last week alone, it's been more exciting than not. The question is do I like the excitement or not?

* * *

"It felt like... it felt like every single care or worry or sadness I ever had was just flowin' out of me into him." Sookie explained to Lafayette as we both stood at the kitchen window. She had gotten back her perky attitude she had started out with at the beginning of the night, but I now had her scarf hanging loosely on my neck. I hadn't tied it, but just left it to hang on either side of my neck. "And, yeah, that hurt at first, but then when I relaxed, it didn't hurt at all."

"I was always too scared to let 'em bite me. I don't know, Sook. I just think that when there's blood involved, a line been crossed." Lafayette admitted.

"Lafayette, Sookie definitely crossed a line but I don't think she gives a fuckin' damn if she had or not." I smirked as Sookie smiled and grabbed an order from the window.

"Well, you go on ahead, hooker, with your bad ass! Good for you! It ain't possible to live unless you crossin' somebody's line." Lafayette nodded and Sookie chuckled before she walked away. "Skank." He muttered and I scoffed, punching him in the shoulder. "Ow. Why? Why would you do that?" He asked, sounding exactly like Jeremy had in that one episode of Vampire Diaries.

"Don't call my sister a skank again, Lafayette Reynolds." I smirked playfully and he rolled his eyes, smiling as he set down my order. "Thanks, bitch." I joked and he laughed.

"Yeah, yeah, hooker." He replied and I turned and walked off.

* * *

I sat down at the bar when I got off work to wait for Sookie and ordered a beer. I sipped at it and people watched for a while. I jumped when three vampires ran into the room. I recognized them to be the three nesters that Sookie had described to me. The bald and tattooed one was Liam, the Spanish one's Malcolm and the afro chick's Diane. I scowled as they had used vampire speed to get in here and it was sickening me to see this shit.

I narrowed my eyes as Diane walked towards a man sitting in a booth with a woman, leaning towards him. The woman cowered away and seemed to be whimpering in her seat.

"Well, hey there, sugar." She cooed and I was tempted to send her across the room and crashing through a wall or two. I didn't, though, because that'd probably get me fired and would show these idiot vampires of my abilities. Sam walked out to see the commotion and Malcolm glanced at him.

"Get us three Tru Bloods."

"Y'all need to go somewhere else. This is a family place. Locals only." Sam stated and I winced. Dammit, Sam!

"Well, we just closed on a place up the road, so that makes us official citizens of Renard Parish. We're the new locals."

"My place, my rules." Sam snapped as Sookie inched towards me. I had stood, ready to intervene at any moment.

"Discrimination against vampires is punishable by law in the great state of Louisiana. Personally, I don't give a shit..." Malcolm looked around the bar and sneered, "...but I am thirsty."

"You...are...not...welcome...here. Sam said slowly, trying to get it through to the vampires.

Diane chuckled as she ran her hands through the earlier mentioned man's hair. "That shit only works in a private home."

"Oh! How nice to see you again, Sookie!" Malcolm suddenly said as he walked over towards us and Sookie started to push me behind her. I saw Diane frown and leave the booth. "You are looking delectable as always." He mused and his eyes landed on me, standing a little bit behind Sookie. "Oh, and who is this young delicious looking morsel?" He asked and Sookie glared at him before she shot me a panicked glance.

I gulped, but kept quiet.

"You know them?" Sam asked Sookie.

"We've met." Sookie replied, looking directly at Malcolm.

"Well, well!" Malcolm mused; he must've noticed the fang marks on Sookie's neck. "It looks like Little Miss Holdout has given up the goods. Brava! Did he leave enough for the rest of us?"

"I am _his_." She retorted forcefully.

"Well, he is not here, is he? And while Bill's away, Malcolm will always play." He exposed his fangs and I backed up a little. Sookie gulped before she pushed him away.

"Don't you think for one second I'd ever have anything to do with you! I'm sure you were trash while you were alive and now you're just dead trash!"

"I'm gonna drain you so slowly, you're gonna beg me to kill you." He snapped back.

I jumped as I heard a familiar voice yelling and looked over to see it was Terry, running towards Malcolm.

"Jihad this, fucker!" He yelled.

The next thing that happened was so fast that I hadn't even caught it. A second later though, Terry was laying on the pool table and Sam had broken a pool cue in half to make a stake.

"You are a dead man." Malcolm said, sounding bored.

"Maybe. But I'm gonna take one of y'all with me." My boss replied.

"Sam!" Sookie and I yelled at the same time as he ran at Malcolm. Suddenly, Liam had taken the stake from Sam, hurled it like a javelin at the stack of glasses behind the bar, and had Sam on his back on the bar top.

"I'm gonna reach down your throat and yank you inside out by your dick." Liam seethed.

"Please! Leave him alone!" Sookie yelled before Bill suddenly appeared in the bar. He walked over to where Sookie, Malcolm, Diane, and I stood.

"Stop this! Now!" Bill commanded and Liam released Sam. "You're here for me, not them!"

"We had to get your attention, and I do believe it worked." Malcolm mused.

"What do you want?"

"You never called me back. Now, if I remembered what feelings were, mine might be hurt."

Diane appeared in front of Bill and stroked his cheek. "Join our nest, Bill. Forget these blood sacks."

"Yeah, mainstreamin's for pussies." Liam added and I wanted nothing more than to kick him as hard as I could in the balls and then let a sheep nibble on his balls.

Diane wrapped an arm around Bill's neck and ran her fingers through his hair. "Let's party like we used to, huh? We used to have so much fun." She purred.

Bill glanced at Sookie sadly as he answered. I could feel wave after wave of sorrow and deep longing coming from him. He didn't want to go. "Alright. Let's go."

"What the hell are you doing?" Sookie asked angrily.

"I should be with my own."

"But you're not like them. You're better than they'll ever be!"

"But I am not human, Sookie. I am vampire." They exchanged a long stare before the vampires walked out of the bar. Royce, one of the Redneck Stooges, pointed at the door.

"Well, that ain't right, him comin' in here like that! Ain't right them things even exist." He said and I glared at him. I was so getting tired of his shit lately...

"Well, it is a full moon tonight." I heard someone in the bar say and watched as Sookie nearly crumbled right then and there.

"Sookie." I mumbled and she looked at me. "He didn't want to go. I could feel his sadness when he agreed to go and felt his longing feelings to be with you instead." She smiled slightly and thanked me before she walked off to finish working. I sighed and asked Sam, who had righted himself, for a shot of whiskey. Hell, I deserved it after that. Plus, all that sorrow coming off of Bill had given me a headache.

* * *

"Sam, we gotta do somethin'. These rednecks are gettin' riled up. They're talkin' about going after the vampires." Sookie said a while later as she walked up to the bar and stood beside me.

"That's not my problem." Sam replied and shook his head as I downed another shot of tequila. "You should probably stop soon, Tru." He advised but I just scowled and pushed my glass towards him again with a pointed look. He sighed and poured me another shot.

"I hope they kill 'em all." Arlene said, getting back to the conversation.

"Bill is not like them." Sookie insisted and I slammed my shot glass down again, this time not giving it to Sam for a refill.

"I'll vouch for Sookie if I have to." I announced, twirling my finger around the lip of the glass and staring at the wood of the bar.

"He went with 'em." Sam retorted, watching me in case I needed to barf probably.

"He didn't want to, Sam." I sighed. "I felt his sorrow, pain, and longing when he said he'd go. He didn't want to. He wanted to stay. He only did it to get them away from here."

"Doesn't matter. He belongs with his own kind." He stated as he took my shot glass from me and I pouted. "You're officially cut off."

"Oh, my God, are you listening to yourself?" Sookie asked incredulously, referring to Sam s statement about Bill being with his own kind.

"Whatever goes on between you and him's your business, but I do not want him in my bar." Sam said forcefully and Sookie glared at him before she stalked off.

I looked up at Sam. "Dude, you're definitely ruinin' your chances with her, you know that?"

"You know what, Trudy?" He said slowly and I blinked. "You're half drunk already, so I'm gonna let that one slide, but this is seriously fucked up." He nodded to his own words and I sighed, laying my head on my crossed arms on the table.

"Yep. This world's a seriously fucked up place, Sam. Get used to it because it ain't gonna go away anytime soon." I mumbled the last few words and heard him sigh before my eyes slid close.

* * *

**Okay, so there's the fourth chapter. Again, I'm sorry for the shortness of it. I know it's not as long as my usuals, but there wasn't much I could do with this one since it was mostly about Sookie, Bill, and the nesters. Please tell me if Eric's bein' to OOC in this one. I know that in the next one he isn't, but I just want to make sure. Oh, and also, I've only gotten to chapter five on this story because I don't have the transcripts for Plaisir D'Amour. I also don't have the episodes, so if anyone knows where I can get those, I would very much appreciate if you could share the location with me. The sooner the better, so I can start workin' on the next chapters.**

** Reviews and Constructive Critisism are Greatly Appreciated!**


	5. Chapter 5 The Fourth Man in the Fire

Chapter 5 The Fourth Man in the Fire

**Disclaimer: I do not own True Blood in any way, shape, or form.**

**Okay, I decided to be nice and give you guys another chapter, but this is probably going to be the last one for a while until I find another way to write out the chapters.**

The next morning, I woke up in my bed with a splitting headache. I groaned and looked at my bedside table, where a bottle of Excedrin pills and a glass of water sat. I groaned and sat up. I quickly shook out a pill and popped it in my mouth before I chased it down with the water. I grimaced at the taste of the water and slowly stood. I walked over to my dresser and grabbed my iHome, placing my iPod in the slot. I flipped through the playlists until I settled on my Three Days Grace playlist. Pain immediately blasted out of the speakers and I winced slightly before I walked over to my closet and pulled out a pair of blue jean shorts that cut off about half way down my thigh and a purple plaid button up shirt. I grabbed some underwear and headed towards the bathroom for a much needed shower.

When I got out, I went back to my hair and decided to let my hair air dry; it would still be straight as a pin anyway, so why bother with blow drying it? I then put some eyeliner on and walked downstairs and into the kitchen. I went to the fridge and saw a note from Sookie magnetized to it. I hummed along to the song from upstairs, 'Time of Dying', as I read the note.

'Hey, Trudy. I went over to Bill s house to wait for him. Call me when you wake up. Love, Sookie.'

I smiled lightly and ripped the note off of the fridge, crumbling it up and tossing it into the trashcan like a basketball player. I turned to a cabinet beside the fridge and pulled down a Cup of Noodles. I fixed it up with water, stuck it in a bowl, and placed it in the microwave before I walked back upstairs and grabbed my purple cell phone and flipped it open to see I had a missed call from Lafayette, a few texts from Lafayette and Sookie, and a new picture that Arlene had sent me of Coby and Lisa. I decided to reply to those after I called Sookie. I turned off my iHome and walked down the stairs, flipping through the contacts on my phone before I landed on Sookie and pushed the send button.

I walked into the kitchen just as the microwave dinged and pulled out my ramen. I held my phone between my ear and my shoulder as I poured the excess water that had spilled over into the bowl back into the Styrofoam cup of noodles as I waited for Sookie to pick up.

"Hello?" I heard her say while I was grabbing a fork.

"Hey, I'm awake." I greeted and twirled the ramen around to mix the seasoning.

"Oh, my God, Trudy! I'm on my way home now. I'll tell you all about what's happened when I get home." She promised and I nodded, slurping up some noodles nonchalantly.

"Okay. See you then. Bye." I said half heartedly and pushed the end button. I then slid my phone up to reveal my keypad and looked at Lafayette s text. I smirked when I realized it was just about him bragging about getting laid last night. I replied with a 'well, fuckin A., Lafayette. You keep this up and there ain't gonna be anybody else to fuck when I lose my virginity and spontaneously become a whore!' I sent it as I munched on a carrot from my chicken ramen.

When Sookie got home, she told me all about how there was a fire at the nesting vampires place and she had no clue if Bill was in there too, or not. She said there were four coffins and four bodies. Well, not bodies. As she had put it, it was like they exploded and was nothing but a pile of bubbling blood and guts now. I guess that's what happens when you kill a vampire. I was kinda wondering if they'd turn to dust, like in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, or shrivel up, like in Vampire Diaries. Apparently, it's neither and they blow up like in Blade, but more gory. Maybe I should've asked Eric that question when I was digging for more answers.

After her story, she said she wanted to be alone, so I walked up to my room and turned my music on again, but kept it low. I flipped through the playlists and decided on Escape the Fate for a while. I collapsed on my bed and grabbed a random book from my floor. I picked it up and looked at it. Breaking Dawn. Nope, I decided and threw it back down. I reached for another one and picked it up. Lord of the Flies. Don't think so. Undead and Unwed. Now we're talking.

I read for about two hours until the sun set. I didn't have work tonight, so I sighed and put my book down. I sat there on my bed for a minute before I rolled off my bed and walked over to my dresser. I turned off my iHome and pushed my iPod and ear phones into my pocket. I looked at my camera and smiled softly. Gran had given it to me for my 21st birthday. She had always loved when I took pictures. She said that I breathed life into all of my photos, so she bought me my first digital camera. I haven't used it since my birthday.

I picked up my camera and pulled a pair of socks from my dresser. I pulled them on as I walked out of my room and grabbed my Converse. I slipped them on easily and tied them up before I headed downstairs. I took down my jacket from the hook beside the door and walked out. Sookie was sitting with a quilt over her shoulders on the porch and watching the rain. I pulled my hood over my head and closed the door behind me.

"Hey, I'm gonna go and check out my baby at the car shop. I'm gonna borrow your car, okay?"

"Okay. Don't be home too late, Trudy." She said and tossed me her car keys.

"Don't worry. I'll be back after I check out my car. Those mother fuckers have had it for the past five days and it's time to give it back to me." I said angrily and zipped up my jacket. "I'll be back later." I called over my shoulder and stepped out into the rain, heading over to Sookie's little yellow car. I unlocked the door and climbed in. I grimaced at the car in general most of the time. Sookie loved it and it loved her, but it hated me. This stupid car gives me troubles every time I have to drive it in general.

I shoved the keys into the ignition and whined when it roared to life. I sighed and pulled out of the parking place, which was more like a patch of gravel. I drove down the road and into town. I combed my fingers through my now wet hair as I headed for the mechanics. If I'm lucky, the car will be ready for me to pick up.

I pulled into the parking spot and smiled when the rain stopped. I took off my jacket and left it in the car as I climbed out and locked the doors behind me. I walked into the shop and smiled at the sight of my baby being waxed. My car is a beautiful black 1967 Chevy Impala.

I snapped out of my revere when Joey, the man I hired to touch up my Impala, walked up to me, wiping his hands on a rag. "Yo, Joey, you ve had my car for five days. You done yet or what? What's takin' so long?"

"Easy, chere." He drawled and chewed on his gum noisily as he talked. "We've been busy a lot lately, so we just got around to it today. We touched up the paint and just finished with the waxing." He handed over my keys and I grinned.

"Thanks. So, am I good to take it or what?" I asked, snatching my keys.

"Yeah." He smiled at me before he turned and walked off. I smiled, rolling my eyes before I turned to come face to face with Trevor. I had gone to school with him and he's one of my good friends. Whenever I go to a bar or club with Lafayette and Tara, I beg him to come, too. He's my dancing partner and I use him when I want a guy to leave me alone and he uses me when he wants a chick to leave him alone. We are very believable couple and fooled numerous people, including Bill at one point when they first met.

"Trevor!" I grinned happily and threw my arms around his shoulders as he wrapped his around my waist and spun me around in a circle.

"Tru!" He mimicked me in his British accent and I giggled when he set me down again. I hadn't seen him a while because he went to England for his brother's wedding.

"Where've you been? I've missed you." I admitted as we walked towards my car.

"Yeah, I've missed you, too, love. I just got back earlier and I've been looking for you. I went by your place and Sookie told me you were here to get the Imp." He told me as I tossed my bag into the open window of my car. I smiled at the old nickname he had given the Impala.

"Well, I'm happy you showed up because I need you to drive Sookie's junker back to the house for me then you and I can go somewhere. I was gonna go off into the woods and take some pictures if you wanna come." I told him as I pulled the keys to Sookie s cars out of my pocket and held them out to him.

With a heavy sigh, he took the keys. "You know that I hate that thing as much as you do, right?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

I smiled and kissed him on the cheek. "Too bad. I had to drive it, too, so it's not a big deal. Now get your ass into that car before my stalker shows up and asks me something I really don't want to answer right now." Of course, I was talking about Eric, but Trevor didn't know that and he raised both eyebrows and I shook my head. "Don't ask." I said and opened my door, sliding in.

"Okay..." Trevor said slowly before he walked out of the shop and I could see him grimace as he got into Sookie's car. I chuckled and put the keys in ignition, smiling in contentment as my beautiful Impala purred to life. I looked around my car and felt like it was brand new. I knew that it wasn't since it was a hand-me-down from my father, but it did and it felt nice. I smiled fondly at the thought of my father and pulled out of the shop, heading for mine and Sookie's house.

When I got there, Trevor parked Sookie's car beside mine and I left my car running, jumping out and took the keys he held out to me as he got into the passenger's seat. I walked into the house and looked around, expecting to see Sookie run out and give me the third degree about being late.

"Sook?" I called as I set the keys down at the kitchen table. I didn't hear an answer, but I just shrugged it off and walked outside again. I slid smoothly back into the Impala and backed out of the gravel drive way and noticed Trevor flipping through my CD case. "What are you looking for?"

"How long has it been since you updated this thing?" He asked, still flipping.

"Uh..." I thought about it and bit my lip. "Last year, I think."

"Ever heard of Snow White's Poison Bite?" He asked after a moment of silence and I glanced at him.

"No, why?"

"My brother's new wife introduced them to me while I was in England. They're a good band. They're not that big here since they're Finnish, but they've got a few videos. My favorite song of theirs is 'The End of Prom Night'." He then grabbed his back pack that he had thrown carelessly to the ground and rummaged through it for a moment before he pulled out a blank CD case. "She burned off some of their songs for me." He pushed the CD into the CD player and flipped through the songs until he reached the one he wanted. "It's the end, it's the end on prom night. It's the end, it's the end, it's the end. You're not going to be the Homecoming Queen tonight." He sang along and bobbed his head along. I grinned and bobbed my head along. The song was good and so was the band. I reached out a turned the volume down so I could talk to him when I reached a red light in town.

"So how was the wedding? Did you tell Rose and Stefan I said hi ?" I asked, smiling, which he returned with a grin.

"They said hi , too, and Rose told me to tell you that she finally got her wish." He had a confused look on his face, but I just grinned. "She said you would know what that meant?"

"Yeah, I know." I said and looked forward as the light turned green. See, Rose and I met when I had gone to England on a field trip from my college. I was the one who introduced her to Trevor and his older brother, Stefan. Yes, I see the irony in having a Trevor, Rose, and Stefan in my life when I watch Vampire Diaries, but if you don't understand what I mean, you should really watch the show; I recommend it. Anyway, Rose had told me once that she wanted to get married to the man she loved the most under the full moon in the middle of a fall full moon.

"Anyways, the wedding was great. I got wasted and met this adorable French friend of Stefan's." Trevor smirked mischievously and I groaned. "What?"

"Why is it that everyone around me is getting some while I remain a virgin?" I asked irritably and he laughed, leaning his elbow against his door and propped his cheek in his palm. "I'm serious! Am I the only pure one in the world that's older than 20?"

"Hmm..." He thought it over in his head for a moment before he grinned, nodding. "Yeah, I think so."

"Well, shit..." I mumbled and parked the car beside the nature walk through the woods entrance. "I really need to get laid then, don t I?" I asked and he bit his lip, looking over at me.

"Just a bit. Hey, maybe if you do, you won't be as irritable?" He said cheerfully and we climbed out of the Impala. I scowled and grabbed my leather jacket, pulling it on.

"Bitch." I said as I grabbed my camera from my bag and walked towards the entrance, Trevor on my heels.

"See? Right there, you just proved my point in a nut shell." He said confidently and I chuckled, shaking my head as I shouldered him when he caught up with me and we walked through the woods. I smiled softly at the sight of the freshly watered flowers we passed and had to take a few pictures along the way.

We spent the whole time talking and joking as we walked through the forest nature walk pathway that looped back around to where I had parked the Impala. He told me more about the wedding and I told him all about what he had missed. He didn't say sorry about Gran's death either but I didn't question it. He hated it when people apologized for a death like that much like I did. He did, however, interrogate me on Eric.

"I thought you said you weren't getting any?" He questioned as we walked back over to the Impala and I scowled.

"Oh, pardon me while I vomit." I said in a detested tone and he smiled, climbing into the passenger's side. I got into the driver s seat. "Seriously, me and Eric? Never gonna happen." I said determinedly and started up the car. I paused and looked over at him. "I mean, he wants me... like bad." I stated and his smile turned into a toothy grin.

"Well, in your opinion, is he smexy?" He asked and I gaped, but smiled none the less. I hit him in the arm and he laughed. "No, I m serious. Do you like him?"

"No." I shook my head and scowled as I pulled onto the road again. "Eric Northman is a selfish, conceited, seductive asshole who just wants to add another notch onto his belt." I stated blandly and Trevor smirked.

"So, you think he's seductive?"

"Trevor, you're as straight as you could get and you would think he was seductive." I said bluntly and looked at him when we reached a stop sign.

He paused and opened his mouth to retaliate, then closed it, and then opened it again. He kinda looked like a gaping fish. He pondered it for a moment and I raised an eyebrow at him. "Okay, I gotta meet him now."

I grinned. "Next time I go to Fangtasia, you can come, too." I promised and bit my lip. "So are you coming over for the night to catch up with me or do you wanna go home?" I asked.

"I guess I could come over." He bit his lip as he talked slowly and then nodded. "Yeah, sure." I mocked him and headed for my house.

"Hmm, was Sookie home when you went by?"

"Uh, yeah, but she was on the way out. She had a bunch of flowers with her."

I frowned. _'She must've gone to Bill's grave...'_ I thought and Trevor looked at me.

"What's wrong? You're all sad." He stated. Oh, yeah, Trevor's an Empath. He feels emotions like I do, but he's better at it and it's more concentrated while mine rarely happens.

I sighed and told him about Bill and Sookie and what just happened to Bill. At the end he frowned deeply.

"So you both got vampires after you guys?" He asked and I glared at him. He smiled innocently and I parked the car in the gravel driveway outside the house I shared with Sookie.

"Yes, you little pervert." I slapped the back of his head, grabbed my bag, and climbed out.

He laughed and got out, too. "Oh, come on, you know you love me." He said as we walked towards my house and I smirked.

"Actually I hate you." I stated and he grinned.

"I love you, too, Tru." He wrapped an arm around my shoulders and kissed my cheek just as we stepped over the threshold into the house. I closed the door behind me and slipped off my shoes which Trevor did, too. He then went into the kitchen and before I could follow, there was a loud knock on the door. "You get it. I'm raiding the fridge!" Trevor called from the kitchen and I rolled my eyes, smiling, and opened the door. The smile immediately fell when I saw who was there and turned into a grimace. I sighed, crossed my arms over my chest, and leaned against the door frame and looked up at his tall frame.

"What the fuck do you want, Northman?" I sneering and I heard a growl from him.

"Who was with you?" He asked menacingly and I blinked before I gave an easy smile.

"Oh, that was Trevor." I said nonchalantly and said boy looked around the entrance to the kitchen, a cookie in his mouth. His eyes widened when he saw the vampire before me.

"Uh, Tru..." He said nervously and I looked back at him, raising an eyebrow. "He can't come in, right?"

"No, not unless I invite him in." I said, smirking and he nodded, going back into the kitchen. I turned back to Eric and smiled innocently when I saw his angry face. "What's up?"

"Trudy... what is he to you?" He asked slowly and I blinked a few times in thought before I realized what he was asking.

_'He thinks I'm with Trevor...'_ I stared at him with a straight face and deadpanned, "He's my porn star." The look on his face was comical and I couldn't keep a serious facade for long before I burst out laughing and had to keep myself standing by using the door.

"What?" Eric asked slowly and Trevor came out of the kitchen, this time with a beer.

"Hey, you're Eric Northman, right?" My friend asked, standing next to me as I tried to calm down. "She's just messing with you. I'm her best friend, Trevor Kingston." Trevor told him before heading into the living room.

By this time, I was only giggling and Eric was glaring at me. I smiled as he asked the question he asks every time he comes over.

"Let me in." Well, it was more of an order...

"No. Eric, you haven't given me a reason to let you in. Honestly, I have a feeling that if I let you in, you'll attack Trevor on the spot."

"I can control myself."

"Why don't I believe that?"

"Because you're stubborn." He responded with a light smile and I raised an eyebrow. "Let me in."

"Nope."

"Why?" He almost, I repeat almost, whined with a desperate look on his face.

"Because I don't trust you." I said simply and he growled a little.

"I've never hurt you before. Why don't you trust me?" Eric asked angrily.

I pretended to think about it. "Hmm, well, you always pop up out of nowhere, you seem to know where I am almost always, you visit me every night, and you always ask me to let you in." I said the last one with a cheeky smile. "You, Mr. Northman, are a stalker."

"I am not. If I can't come in then you come out." He suggested looking defeated and I thought over it for a minute.

"Hold on." I said before I turned and walked into the living room to see Trevor spread out on the couch, watching Cold Case. "Hey, you got your gun that shoots silver?" I asked and he nodded, standing.

"Why?" He asked as he pulled it from the back of his jeans. He carries it around with him, especially at night. He's trigger happy and has been since he shot his first gun in the ninth grade, when he was 14. We're both the same age, in case you were wondering.

"Just in case." I mumbled as he handed it to me.

"In case of what?" He asked slowly and followed me as I walked back to the front door. Eric was there still, leaning against the door frame boredly. I put on my shoes and noticed that Eric was wearing a black tee-shirt with interesting designs on it, jeans, and a leather jacket. I didn't pay attention to his shoes because I answered Trevor.

"I'm gonna go out and talk to him and I would like some protection."

"How'd you know about the silver?" Eric asked curiously and Trevor and I looked up at him.

"Sookie." We both said and he nodded in understanding before I looked back at Trevor.

"Why would you go out there?" He asked and I blinked.

"Because I have a death wish. I don't know, you idiot, I want to know what he wants and he won't tell me unless I'm near him for some stupid ridiculous reason." I mumbled the last part but Eric still heard because he smirked. I stood and held up the gun. "I'll be fine, Trevor. I have the gun and I've been shooting just as long as you have."

"Okay, but please be careful. I don't want to lose my best friend because she's reckless around a vampire." He smirked when I scoffed and punched him in the arm hard. "Ow! That hurt, Tru!" He said, but continued to smile.

"Deal with it." I said and walked out the door. Eric smirked as I closed the door behind me and looked up at him. "Now what is so important that you had to drag me out of my nice warm house?" I asked impatiently and put the gun in the back of my shorts, making sure the safety was on first. I looked up at Eric and he smiled, walking towards me. When he was getting too close, I stepped back and he kept coming, so I kept walking backwards until I hit the wall by the door and even then he still kept coming. He didn't stop until we were an inch apart and my heart was beating faster. I looked up at him. "Eric, w-what are you doing ?"

"What else would I do but be seductive?" He smirked, placing a hand on my hip and the other by my head, boxing me in.

"What? Wait, were you listening to me and Trevor earlier?" I asked slowly and glared up at him. He grinned toothily and I growled and hit him weakly in the chest. "Asshole, stop being a stalker!"

"I am not a stalker." He rolled his eyes and I scowled. "I was on my way here when I came upon you and little Trevor. I must say, he smells as good as you and Sookie." He tilted his head in curiosity. "Is he like you and your sister?"

"No." I answered, too fast. The main reason that I became friends with Trevor when we were kids is because of his powers. I remember the day it happened, too. I was sad because my father was afraid of me and my powers and he felt my sorrow, so he cheered me up and eventually told me about his abilities.

He raised an eyebrow. "Why don't I believe that?" He repeated my words and pushed my hair out of my face.

"Because you're stubborn. Now, get off me." I said and tried to push him away, but he stayed put.

"No, I don't think so. I really like you in this position." He smirked and looked down at my semi-tan legs. "Love the shorts, by the way."

"Get a lot of compliments on these shorts." I nodded in agreement and he hummed. "Can you get off me now? I have catching up to do." I said, remembering why Trevor was over in the first place.

"I have a favor to ask of you first."

"A favor or an order?"

"Depends on how you look at it." He smirked, looking down at me. "I am requesting your presence, as well as your sister's, at Fangtasia in a few days to help me find who stole money from Fangtasia."

"You got robbed?" I asked slowly, not believing a word of it. Vampires are supposed to have excellent hearing, right? Then how the hell did they get robbed?

"Yes and, since we didn't catch it until last night, we suspect it was somebody who works with us." He seemed distracted so I looked up at him to see him still looking at my legs.

"Hey, Northman, face is up here." I stated, snapping my fingers in his face. He looked up at me and smirked. "Honestly is sex the only thing you think about?"

"Well... yes." He nodded and I smiled, giggling slightly and he smiled. "No, actually, most of my kind only thinks about blood, sex, and money."

"Hmm, a sinful bunch you are, aren't you?" I asked sarcastically and he nodded truthful. "Well, at least you're honest most of the time."

"Yes, I find it a good quality around humans..." He said seriously before he stepped back and ran a hand through his hair. "That's all I needed."

"I didn't even agree." I stated.

"Yes, well, you don't have a choice. I'm going to talk to Bill about it and he physically cannot say 'no'." He informed me and I nodded, heading towards the door. "Oh, and Miss Stackhouse?" I turned back as I was opening my door to see him only an inch from my face. "Love the new shampoo." And with that, he pecked my cheek near my mouth and disappeared. I blinked and touched my cheek where I could still feel his lips. They were so cold, but soft at the same time. I looked up to see Trevor with his mouth agape. I blushed when I realized he was there when Eric did that.

"Don't even!" I snapped and headed into the kitchen, setting his gun down in his hand as I passed.

"But-" I cut him off.

"Don't." I repeated and pulled a chair over to a high cabinet that I couldn't reach. "I don't even know what he meant be new shampoo..." I mumbled as I opened the cabinet after climbing onto the chair. "I mean, yeah, I got new shampoo, but did I use it today?" I asked in wonder, remembering taking a shower earlier, but did I use the new strawberry and cream shampoo I got? Maybe. I shook it off and grabbed a bottle of Jack Daniels from the cabinet and two shot glasses. I then jumped down and walked back to the living room, where Trevor was gaping on the couch. I rolled my eyes and slapped the back of his head. "Snap out of it and let's drink."

"Okay." He said whole heartedly and took the liberty of pouring the drinks.

* * *

Sookie and I quickly ran into Merlotte's the next day. She had spent the night with Bill, who is still alive, and I had gotten wasted with Trevor. He's still sleeping off his hangover back at our house.

"We're sorry, we're sorry, we're sorry. We know we're late." Sookie apologized for us both because I had hair clip in my mouth. I was currently wrestling with my hair, trying to get it pulled back into a half ponytail.

Sam turned to look at us. "Hey, Tru, you think you can work the bar tonight?"

"Ooh, drinks." I grinned and then groaned. "Sookie, can you help me with this please?" I asked desperately and she smiled, coming over to help me with my hair.

"Sookie, listen..." Sam started. "...I heard about the fire. I'm real, real sorry. How you holdin' up?"

"He's alive!" Sookie grinned and I nodded in agreement when she let me go.

"What?" Sam asked warily and I smirked, hiding my frown.

"Bill's alive. There were four bodies." I stated.

"And I thought for sure Bill was one of 'em." Sookie grinned.

"He wasn't?"

"Nah, he's fine." I stated and ruffled through my bag for my phone, which was going off. I stepped away from them and pushed the send button on my dark purple Blackberry. "Hello?" I said, curious as to who it could be.

"Hey, Tru where's the aspirin?" I heard the familiar sound of a hungover Trevor.

I smiled. "It's on the kitchen counter. I left it there for you for when you wake up."

"Okay, well, when I'm done here, I'm coming over to Merlotte's so I'll see you there."

"Okay, bye." I hung up the phone and threw it into my bag as I turned to face an upset Sam.

"Bill's really alive?" He asked slowly and I rolled my eyes.

"Yes, Sam. Bill Compton is alive." I said icily before I turned and stalked off to help a customer down the bar. It really pissed me off that he kept on going after Sookie, despite that he knew she was too held up by Bill, when I was right in front of him, free of any man. I mean, I'm not a petty person by nature, but this is getting ridiculous. It also pisses me off that he only sees me as a child, when I'm nothing of the sort anymore. Except for the fact that I'm still a virgin, and no doubt that Sookie's experienced by now. She's most likely had a lot of sex with Bill already and they obviously had some sorta blood blond.

* * *

"What's wrong, Sook?" I asked her, raising an eyebrow as I leaned against the bar. She was staring at this chick that was serving some tables.

Before she could answer, Jason walked over to us, smiling proudly.

"Isn't she something?" He asked, looking at the new girl.

"She's with you?" Sookie asked.

"I know you're pissed at me, but I really want you two to like her." Jason told us and I frowned, looking over towards the new girl as she walked towards us and spoke to Sookie.

"Sorry about that. You looked really swamped and the natives were gettin' restless so..." She shrugged and I nodded towards her in understanding when she looked over at me. "You're Jason's sisters, right? It's... I've heard so much about both of you." She told us and Sookie was even unhappier. I was, too. It felt like Jason was replacing Dawn already and she only died a few days ago. It makes me feel bad just talking to her. Dawn was a good friend of mine and I definitely didn't approve of her relationship with Jason. I knew he was a man-whore and I didn't want any girl to have to deal with that.

"Who are you?" Arlene asked as she walked over to us.

"My name's Amy. Amy Burley. I'm with Jason." She told us and Jason smiled.

"With me." He repeated, as if to himself, and wrapped his arm around Amy's shoulders.

"And you must be Arlene with the beautiful red hair. It's so nice to meet you." I had a feeling she was sucking up to us and I narrowed my eyes.

"How'd you know all the table numbers?" Arlene asked.

"Well, I waited tables in college, so I just assumed clockwise. You know," she turned and pointed towards the tables while I stood straight and grabbed a shot glass and a bottle of tequila, "table one, two, three, four, five. I think the guys at table five like you cause they left you a really nice tip." Amy said and held the money out to Arlene, who took it and turned to Sam who had appeared beside me behind the bar as I was pouring myself a shot. I downed it quickly and slammed the glass down on the counter as Arlene said the one sentence I didn't want to hear.

"Sam, I think we might have found a replacement for Dawn."

I scowled and looked up at Jason. "Looks like Jason did, too." I snapped and went to help a person down the bar.

* * *

"Hey, you okay?" Sam asked me later on as I was restocking the liquor.

I sighed. "What do you mean, boss?" I asked and looked up as Trevor walked into the bar and I smiled at him while he sat down at the bar and waved at me. I turned towards Sam as he looked over my shoulder over at Trevor. He frowned before he looked back to me and I raised an eyebrow at him.

"When Amy showed up, you got pissed. What's up?" He asked and threw his bar towel over his shoulder.

I sighed and shook my head. "It just feels like... everyone's tryin' to replace Dawn and she's only been gone for a week, tops." I explained and stood straight, wiping my hands on my shorts. "Jason has and now we have by hiring her as a waitress." I said to Sam honestly and he frowned.

"Hey, you know that we all miss Dawn. The only thing is, though, that she's not comin' back." He said and placed his hands on my shoulders. "We may not want it to be true, but it is."

I bit my lip and looked down. "I know. I gotta go serve the customers." I quickly slipped out of his hold and went over to Trevor. "Hey." I faked a smile and he frowned.

"What's wrong?" He looked around and must've noticed Amy working with Sookie. "And who's the new girl?"

"Jason's new Dawn." I said with a glare towards Amy as I grabbed a beer for Trevor, his favorite type and everything. He looked at me questioningly as he took a sip of his beer and I rolled my eyes. "I'll fill you in later."

* * *

I watched Tara as she was clearing a table and walked over to where Hoyt was sitting with Trevor. Sam put the bottle of Tru Blood he had been pouring into the drain at the sink down and came to look beside me.

"You look mighty pretty tonight, Tara." Hoyt complemented and Trevor leaned back in the booth, taking a sip of his beer. "That's a nice color on you."

"Fuck you." Tara snapped back before she walked towards me and Sam.

"I m sorry. W-was that sexist?" Hoyt asked, looking at Trevor, who was trying not to laugh.

"May I have a word with you?" Sam asked Tara when she wiped the bar and I raised an eyebrow at her. "In my office?" He continued and she rolled her eyes but followed him anyways. I rolled my eyes and wiped down the bar top. Then a thought occurred to me... Sam and Tara have been spending an awful lot of time together.

* * *

I yawned as I opened the front door and ran a hand through my hair. I had been reading a book in the dark in my room when the doorbell rang. I looked up to see Arlene, Rene, Lisa, and Coby. Coby was playing a Game Boy and Rene and Arlene were dressed nicely. I narrowed my eyes slightly at this. "Hi." I said slowly as Sookie came downstairs in a pink nightie. Trevor came down after her, rubbing his eyes tiredly. He had decided to stay the night over night and was playing on my computer. "Sookie..." I said slowly as I turned to face her. "What's up?"

"Oh, I forgot to tell you that we're watching Coby and Lisa tonight." Sookie replied and walked to stand with me at the door.

"Should I go?" Trevor asked me and I smiled.

"Nah, you're good." I reassured him and he nodded, heading into the kitchen.

"Sookie. What's wrong? What took you so long?" Arlene asked Sookie.

"I was out back in the yard." Sookie explained and I raised an eyebrow at her. No, she wasn't... she was upstairs with- Ooooh, okay.

"In your nightie?" Coby asked.

"The cat got out." Bill said as he walked over to us. He must've snuck down stairs while we weren't paying attention. "Made friends with a squirrel." I smiled at this.

"Mommy, look, it's a vampire!" Lisa said excitedly as she and her brother smiled and tried to run to Bill. Arlene quickly stopped them.

"Uh, Sookie, you didn't mention that you and Trudy had company." Arlene accused, pointing out that Trevor was here, too. She didn't really like Trevor either because he didn't mind vampires at all and has a few vampire friends. Not to mention his purple, black, and bleach blonde hair with snake bites...

"I didn't think I had to." Sookie snapped back.

"Well, I got a right to know who's lookin' after my children."

"Well, Arlene, this is what you get." I said in finality, fed up with her prodigious ways. "If you can't handle Trevor and Bill being here, you can go find different baby sitters." I snapped at her before I walked off and into the kitchen.

"Tru, calm down." Trevor soothed as he closed the fridge and looked at me. I just rolled my eyes in reply. "I know Arlene's gettin' on your last nerve, but-"

"There is no 'but', Trevor." I interrupted him. "Arlene has to have everything her way or it's the high way. It pisses me off and it makes me want to throw her off a cliff. I swear that she needs to be a blonde and not a redhead." I said as I opened the fridge and pulled out the box of pizza that we had for leftovers from earlier.

"You don't mean that. She's just annoying you." He replied and I scoffed.

"She's been like this from the minute I met her. I wish she'd just get off her high goddamn horse already." I said as Coby, Lisa, Sookie, and Bill came into the kitchen. "Pizza?" I questioned and Sookie nodded as she helped the kids into chairs at the table and Bill went to get plates.

"Pizza." She nodded. I smiled and brought the pizza over to the table and sat it down.

"Trevor and I are gonna go back upstairs, okay? You guys think you can handle it?" I asked tauntingly as I grabbed Trevor's hand and started to tug him out of the kitchen and towards the stairs.

"I think we'll be fine." Bill drawled with a smile that I returned and pulled Trevor out and up the stairs. I then pulled him into my room when we got there and closed the door behind him.

"What's the rush, Tru?" Trevor asked as he sat down on my bed and yawned. This made me yawn as I crawled onto my bed and lay down, pushing the book I had finished only minutes before the kids showed up off the bed.

"Tired... long day... need sleep..." I simply answered and yawned again. I haven't felt this tired sense I was in college.

* * *

I groaned in annoyance from my spot beside Trevor in the back seat of Bill's car with Sookie and Bill in the front. Trevor and I wanted to go out to the movies, so we asked them to drop us off on the way to their date. Somehow, though, we got roped into going to Fangtasia. Sookie was about as annoyed as I was, but Trevor didn t really see the point in our anger. I couldn't figure out how Bill felt about it.

"You said you wanted to go out tonight." Bill said to Sookie as we pulled up to Fangtasia, which was closed tonight. I looked in frustration to the front of the car and towards Sookie, who was holding red and white roses.

"I did not mean Fangtasia! I mean, really, all those pathetic people who come here looking for sex with vampires?" Sookie retorted and Bill turned and looked at her with a straight face.

"I know. It's despicable." He said sarcastically and I let out a small giggle before I bit my lip and looked up towards Fangtasia while Trevor played on his black neon green Blackberry.

"You know what I mean!" Sookie snapped, flustered. "So, what, five, ten minutes?"

"As long as Eric requires us."

"You mean as long as he requires me and Trudy. Didn't even have the decency to ask us himself."

"Um, actually, Sookie? Eric did ask me." I told her and she turned to raise an eyebrow at me. "I didn't agree, but apparently, it didn't matter. Just like Eric said, Bill caved under the rule of the vampire." I said with a pointed glare at the back of Bill s head.

Bill rolled his eyes before he turned to Sookie again. "You are mine. He didn t need to ask your permission. He only asked Trudy because she is not claimed by a vampire."

"He cannot check me out like a library book!" Sookie snapped as I merely growled.

"Yeah, and he shouldn't get what he wants by a simple snap of the fingers and either you, Longshadow, or Pam comes running to do his bidding!" I put in my two cents.

"Unfortunately, girls, he can." Bill retorted, looking upset with what I said. I mean, I did kinda make him sound like a lap dog but that's exactly how it seems to me. "Eric is Sheriff of Area Five."

"Wait, Sheriff?" I asked slowly and confusedly and Trevor looked up from his phone, interested.

"It's a position of great power among our kind. We do not want to anger him!" Bill answered, looking at me and Sookie pointedly. "As long as the requests are reasonable, we should accede to his wishes."

At this, I groaned and rolled my eyes in annoyance and threw my door open. I climbed out and adjusted my black Escape the Fate tank top and pulled my black skinny jeans up a little more. The one night we're gonna be around vampires and I don't have my silver skull belt on. Fantastic oh, I'm sorry. Fangtastic.

I walked around the car and went to meet Trevor, who seemed to be bored out of his skull. He had his earphones in and I could hear 'End of Prom Night' blasting in his ears, making me smile lightly.

* * *

I sighed in irritation from where I stood with Trevor, my arms crossed over my chest, as I listened to Eric tell us why we were here, though I already knew why. I still couldn't believe that a human of all things could still from a vampire bar.

"Pam, Longshadow, Annabelle, and I are partners in this club." He stated and I glanced up at Trevor to see him staring at Annabelle, a half a century old vampire that looked only three years older than us. She was pretty and pale, as most female vampires are, with long dark brown, almost black, hair. She was leaning against the bar beside Pam with a pair of bug eye glasses on her face and a deep set frown on. I already knew that she was unhappy about having money disappear from where she worked. I simply rolled my eyes and elbowed Trevor, who shook his head like he was coming out of a daze.

Eric circled Sookie as he spoke from where she sat at a cocktail table. "And we recently noticed that sixty-thousand dollars has gone missing from our books. And Bruce..." As he said this, I looked at the man sitting across from my sister, who seemed to be really afraid for his life. "...is our accountant. Perhaps you can start by listening to him." As he said this I could feel Bruce's fear rolling off of him in waves and Eric looked up at me. "Trudy, I need you, too."

"Why?" I asked in annoyance and slightly whiney.

A ghost of a smile appeared on Eric's face as he merely motioned for me to sit beside Sookie. I huffed as I trudged over, purposefully stomping my Converse clad feet like a teenager that just got sent up to her room by her father. I slumped down in the seat beside Sookie as I looked at Bruce.

"This is ridiculous, you know. He's not saying anything to us." I said, looking up at Eric.

"Don't be coy." Eric replied and I raised a challenging eyebrow at him. "It's humbling enough to turn to humans for assistance. We know what you both can do."

I smirked at this. "You know nothing."

"Oh?" He lifted and eyebrow at me and I continued to smirk. "Empath and telekinesis." He said simply and I quickly frowned at him and looked at Sookie.

She glanced at me before looking back at Eric. "And we know what you can do, too. Why don't you just glamour him?"

"Now, don't you think we might have tried everything before summoning you?" Eric retorted and we just stared at him. "So it would be a great favor to me and to Mr. Compton if you help us."

"Question. Uh, I have no, and don't want, relationship with either you or Mr. Compton." I stated, narrowing my eyes at him. "Why am I here?"

"You wish to keep the human safe, yeah?" Annabelle spoke up and I caught a British accent as I noticed her nodding in Trevor's direction. I frowned and glared at the vampire as she smirked. "I'm betting anything that Eric would overlook having a teensy fatality tonight."

"Annabelle." Eric reprimanded lightly with a glance at her from the corner of his eyes and she huffed but kept her mouth shut.

"If we find out who did it, then what?" Sookie asked.

"We'll turn that person over to police and let the authorities handle it from there." Longshadow answered, barely looking up from the flame from the lighter he was passing his hand over in boredom.

"Oh, that's such a reassurance." I said sarcastically. "Hundreds of years to perfect it and you're still a terrible liar. You seriously expect us to believe that shit?" I then looked up at Eric, who was watching me in slight amusement. "We'll make you a deal. We help you figure out who took your damn money if you promise to hand 'im over to the police and let them handle it."

"Alright." He agreed. "Why not?" I rolled my eyes as I faced Bruce again and read his emotions as Sookie grabbed his hand. I could feel annoyance, fear for his life, obviously, and frustration. I knew it wasn't because he stole the money, though. Just frustrated that he's being blamed for the money being taken by somebody else.

"Bruce, calm down." I said in a calming voice as I continued to feel nervousness from him.

"Take a deep breath. Did you steal their money?" Sookie asked.

"No, no. You gotta believe me. I didn't do it. I swear to-"

"Bruce, do you know who did?" I cut him off softly.

"No." He answered immediately. I felt his annoyance and panic slowly turn to lust and I furrowed my eyes in confusion. I couldn't get any read of distrust or lying from him so I cut off the connection with him and looked at Eric.

"He's telling the truth." I told him as Sookie took her hand away from him and nodded in agreement.

"You trust the skinny humans to clear the fat one?" Longshadow asked Eric incredulously and I scowled at him. Before I could snap at him, though, Eric spoke up.

"Bring the next one in." He ordered as Bruce suddenly felt relieved and started to cry happily. I then noticed a wedding band on his left ring finger and knew instantly that his lusting thoughts weren't about his wife. I was kinda wondering who they were for, though. Part of me also didn't want to know who this guy was lusting for because it kinda disturbed me.

* * *

I leaned my head against my palm with a tired yawn is Pam lead a trashy fangbanger looking woman over to where Sookie have sat for the past hour, reading human after human. This blonde human, though, looked to be the oldest of them all with short curly blonde hair that was close to my hair color and had a lit cigarette in her hand. I'm betting that her hair color isn't natural like mine, though. I took a peak at the top of here head and smirked mentally when I saw faint dark roots.

"This is the last of our humans." Pam told us as the woman sat down and Annabelle came to stand behind her, for a reason unknown.

"Hmm..." The human hummed as she looked at me and Sookie. "Yummy." She said sarcastically before Pam took her cigarette and put it out on the table.

"Ginger." Eric said in slight warning, letting us know her name. "These women have some questions for you. Now, be a good girl and answer them, will you?"

"Aye, aye, master." Ginger said as she sunk back in her seat and placed her hands on the table. Sookie reached for one of her hands, but she quickly slid them away. "Don't you touch me."

"Hold her still." Eric ordered Annabelle and she nodded in understanding, lifting her bug eye glasses to rest on top of her head to reveal bright green eyes. She moved forward and placed her hands on Ginger's shoulders, forcing her not to move. This made it possible for Sookie to grab her hand without any struggle from the other blonde woman.

"Alright, Ginger, someone's stealing money from Fangtasia." I informed her boredly as I formed a connection with her, though it was the last thing I wanted to do. She seemed to be a very pathetic woman and I didn t really appreciate the way she was glaring at me in hatred. I knew it wasn't kind because of the way she noticed how Eric kept looking at me and I could feel the jealousy rolling off of her, but I ignored it for the most part.

"Really?" Ginger retorted sarcastically and I blinked back and sat straighter as I felt rage coming from her. "Huh." The rage was then mixed with desperation and a need for us to understand that she didn't do it. I could tell that she knew who did though.

I looked up at Eric and Pam, who stood close by to us. "She didn't do it."

"But she knows who did." Sookie added, also looking at them.

"What?" Ginger snapped and we looked back to her. "Fuck you. Fuck you both." I felt a sudden rush of fear and narrowed my eyes.

"Who?" Sookie asked gently, but urgently. "Who's gonna kill you?"

"Ginger what's his name?" I asked her, but I couldn't get an emotional reading off of her, so I couldn't tell who it could be.

"It's blank, like her memory's been erased." Sookie informed the vampires.

Ginger looked up at Pam, Eric, and Annabelle. Annabelle had let go of her shoulders and was now standing with the other two. "I don't know anything, I swear."

"She's been glamoured." Pam realized.

"Gotta be a vampire." I stated in determination.  
Suddenly, Longshadow jumped over the bar and towards me and Sookie, his fangs out and ready for the kill.

* * *

**Ok, there's chapter five. As I said before, I probably won't get anymore chapters out for a while, but I'm gonna try to find another way to write them. Oh, and I'd love to know what you guys think about Trevor and Annabelle. I thought them up randomly when my brother was reading this story before I wrote this chapter. I based Trevor off of him and I based Annabelle off of my best friend. Give some feedback on them, please.**

** Review Please!**


	6. Author's Note! Please Read!

**Hey, guys, I'm so sorry for not posting anything for this story in a while, but as I've said before, I can't really write when I can't watch the episodes or find the transcripts for the episodes. I'm also in the process of moving and I think I might be going to live with my mom. She lets me watch True Blood, so if I live with her, I'll be able to write.**

**Anyways, I've been thinking about putting up some chapters in Trevor or Annabelle's POV, to show there POV on what's happened so far. I'm not sure which one I should choose, so give me some feedback on it and I'll put it into consideration based on your reasons for why I should use them. Give me some feedback and I swear I'll get out as fast as I can! Thanks! ^.^**


	7. AUTHOR'S NOTE! PLEASE DON'T IGNORE!

**I AM INSANELT SORRY FOR THE HIATUS! I honestly didn't think it would take me this long to get out with a new chapter... Anyways, well, I am now living with my mother (you know, the cool one that allows me to watch whatever the hell I want :D). I will most likely get the next chapter out within the end of the week. If not by then, I will have it out before next Wednesday at least! I swear it! Also, I hadn't gotten anybody telling me that they want a chapter with Trevor or Annabelle's POV. If anybody wants me to do that, YOU NEED TO TELL ME! It's not gonna happen any other way...**


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